Guardians of Ed
by Coraircate
Summary: Five thousand years ago, the Guardians of Light were forced to give their lives so that eighteen present-day youths could obtain their elemental powers and defeat the evil they failed to detain. Three nobodies from a tiny suburb suddenly become the most important humans in the whole world when they are tasked with saving it.
1. Guardians of Light

A word from the author: I originally wrote this story under the title of "Eds Elemental" back in 2005. It was planned to have 200 chapters. However, after roughly 75 chapters, I took a very long break. Coming back to the story two years later, in 2009, I had improved greatly as a writer. I saw how BAD it was. That was when I decided to rewrite it, at first replacing the first chapter and warning about the future chapters. However, I soon realized that it would be better to simply save the whole story and then remove everything save the post-update chapters. I periodically updated for 13 chapters until life took over in 2012. After a brief hiatus, I was given a lovely hard drive crash that wiped out all of my files, including Chapter 14. In 2013, I finally posted a reworked Chapter 14, and I made the decision to update the title to the current one: "Guardians of Ed."

* * *

**Coraircate's  
"GUARDIANS OF ED"  
**

_Five thousand years ago, the Guardians of Light were forced to give their lives so that eighteen present-day youths could obtain their elemental powers and defeat the evil they failed to detain. Three nobodies from a tiny suburb suddenly become the most important humans in the whole world when they are tasked with saving it._

* * *

Eighteen golden beings not of this world looked on in horror as an equal number of lights moved towards them. With them were two men of bronze.

"It appears that our time has come," said Electric. He looked over to the tallest of the figures. "O Superior, what do you propose?"

"Electric," the Superior started, "as my most loyal friend, you shall lead the Guardians of Light into the Rest. I am afraid we can do no more. You have all been wonderful Guardians. One day, we shall again awaken. Ali-Dragon, Ali-Electric, you shall join us." Electric looked to the other sixteen.

"Guardians? Are you ready?" he asked.

"We're ready, friend," said Ice, one of Electric's truest friends. Electric's eyes shut, as his transformation started. He exploded into a pillar of light and then vanished into nothingness.

"I shall be next," said Water, the wisest of the Guardians. He shut his eyes and left the world in the same fashion as Electric.

"Quickly now," the Superior urged. "The Evil draws closer." Rock was next. He closed his eyes and began his sleep. The rest followed. Dragon, Earth, Fire, Darkness, Poison, Bug, Air, Energy, Light, Psychic, Steel, Ice, Ghost, and War all began their Rest. Vanishing into nothing, they were to remain hidden for years to come. Ali-Dragon and Ali-Electric, the two bronze men, hung their heads and Rested.

"One day," the Superior repeated. With that, she Rested.

#1 GUARDIANS OF LIGHT

Professor Stanley was into a different form of study that few knew even existed. Just days before, he had finished moving into his new home in a small suburb known as Peach Creek. This was for his research. His studies, his theories, they all brought him here. Three children had caught his eye. Pranksters of quite different personalities and backgrounds, with a strange friendship that had spanned their whole childhood. It was the wonder trio.

This day brought a knock to the door. As he answered, he came face to face with a muscular man in black.

"Professor, give up your research," he said.

"No!" the professor shouted. The visitor's hands grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Then we will take it by force."

* * *

"Eddy..."

Everything was blurry... There was a subtle spinning.

"Eeeedddy..."

Eddy's ceiling began to colorize.

"Get up..."

Slowly, the room stopped spinning.

"We must wake up..."

"W... what?" Eddy mumbled. Eddy stretched his arms and looked around the room to find that he was alone. He pulled his four hairs back and brushed his head to the side, yawning and rolling out of bed. His ankles made light popping sounds as he made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and dress himself. The youth donned his trademark yellow shirt and baggy pants. Just then, a knocking on his door. With haste, he ran to open it. Standing before him were his two best friends: Edd (whom everyone referred to as Double Dee) and Ed. Immediately, Eddy noticed Double Dee looked concerned.

"Eddy, I'm afraid our neighbor, Professor Stanley, is being held hostage in his own basement!" shouted Double Dee. Eddy looked unamused.

"You're joking..." he mumbled, beginning to close the door. Double Dee grabbed the door.

"I'm serious," cried Double Dee. "We have to help him!"

"Okay," Eddy said. "How do you even know that?"

"Well, while I was in his yard collecting dirt samples for an experiment, I heard voices through a pipe that leads into the basement," Double Dee began to explain, frantically but knowledgeably.

"Who has a pipe leading into their basement?" Eddy asked.

"I do, for one! It's for experiments, to release gases to the outside so they don't become trapped in the room," tutored Double Dee. "Now if you will _please_... We need to get help!"

"I still don't believe you," Eddy confessed.

"Fine! I will show you!"

"This will be enjoyable," said Eddy, his face curled into a disbelieving grin. He sat down and pulled on some socks, quickly grabbing his nearest pair of shoes. He stood up and walked out the door. Eddy noted Ed's face; it was actually kind of serious right now.

"Follow us Eddy!" said Double Dee, turning and running a goofy run where he somewhat waddled and raised his arms as if riding a bike, only pulled inward much more. Eddy often made fun of this and how goofy it was, and he always made sure Double Dee knew it.

After a quick run, they came to the brick house down the road. Double Dee led his friends around to the back yard. He pointed to a pipe and whispered to Eddy.

"Listen for yourself," he said. Eddy rolled his eyes and walked up to it, bending down and putting his ear up to the pipe. What he heard astonished him.

"I'm telling you to give us the orbs," said a dark voice. _Orbs? Who was this guy? _Eddy realized that something serious was happening at this very moment, and he was slowly being pulled into it.

"We should call the police," said Double Dee.

"We should get aliens to come break into the house, abduct the people, and drop them on planet Krubutor!" suggested Ed. Eddy looked at him.

"Great plan!" said Eddy. "You go get the aliens while Double Dee gets a magnifying glass and looks for Krubutor in his backyard!" Ed couldn't tell this was sarcasm.

"Roger that, Sir Eddy!" replied Ed. He took off running to his house.

"What's the plan?" said Eddy.

"We get the police!" said Double Dee. Eddy only shook his head before replying with a 'no.'

"That's what wusses do, Double Dee! And guess what," said Eddy. "That would make you a wuss!" This made Double Dee angry.

"What's your idea then?" shouted Double Dee.

"I'll tell you what we do! Mr. Muscle- that's me, brings the brainiac into the house, busts into that room, and takes those terrorists himself!"

"I got the UFO!" said a voice. _Ed... _Ed rushed up to the two holding a baseball bat, a frying pan, and a sponge.

"Good going Ed!" said Eddy, taking the bat. Double Dee, not wanting to be overly violent, took the sponge. If he could get the hose, he could probably soak it and make the sponge slippery, but the sound of running water might attract the attention of the intruders just downstairs.

"Let's bust them up!" suggested Eddy, running around to the side of the house and busting open a side door. Ed came running up behind him with Double Dee in a crouched position.

"Gola, I heard a door slam! I think someone's busting in!" said a voice.

"I'll scope it out," came a reply. Eddy readied his bat and ran forward, looking around. He saw a door with a shadow coming closer. He readied his bat. The door opened, and as soon as someone emerged, the bat cracked. He fell to the ground. The figure was wearing a hiking outfit, had a nearly bald head with a patch of black hair, and was gripping his face in pain.

"Attack!" shouted Eddy, rushing down the stairs. Several bat cracks were heard. Ed charged down the stairs pulling Double Dee along with him. The scene is witnessed was a bit against his odds. Eddy was pinned against the wall by two others. One was slightly taller than Eddy with blonde hair and brown eyes, while the other was cloaked in a black robe with the hood up. Eddy glanced at Double Dee before beginning to cough. He was being choked! Double Dee and Ed had to save him! Ed charged at the one with blonde hair with the frying pain and hit him straight in the face. Double Dee said a quick pair and rushed towards the hooded one, punching the face inside the hood with all of his might. This was actually quite effective. It threw the hooded one back and slammed him to the floor. He began sliding across and crashed into a closet door. Eddy had already fallen to the ground.

"Damn it!" the blonde shouted. "Let's go!" He quickly grabbed his friend and began to rush up the stairs.

"Gimiyuuuu!" shouted a muffled voice from behind the closet door. Double Dee ran to the door. Professor Stanley was behind this door. He turned the doorknob before realizing it was locked.

"Incoming!" shouted Ed before charging into the door and breaking a hole in it. Double Dee looked through and saw Professor Stanley, on his knees, bound and gagged. He reached through the hole and unlocked the door, opening the doorknob and rushing to him. He untied him right away.

"Thank you!" said Prof. Stanley, standing to his feet. "Please, come upstairs with me!" He led Double Dee out of the closet and over to Eddy. He looked at Eddy.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Eddy slowly nodded. He helped Eddy up.

"Come upstairs and I'll get you an ice pack and some lemonade," suggested Prof. Stanley. Eddy nodded once more, and with Ed's support followed the others upstairs.

"Should we call the police?" Double Dee asked.

"No, no..." replied the professor. "Believe me, it's better to not mention this."

* * *

"So what are these orbs they were asking for?" asked Double Dee. Prof. Stanley's face lit up. He grinned before standing and walking over to the fireplace. He flipped a panel below the mantle, revealing a button, which he pushed. This revealed a secret compartment with two round slots, one empty. The one still there was blue. It was a tiny blue ball, glistening and shiny. He pulled it out and showed it to Double Dee.

"I don't have the other orb anymore, but these two orbs are for bringing the Defenders to light," he said. "The Defenders help the Guardians of Light to defeat the Guardians of Dark, whom wish to claim the 17 Elemental Stones of each element. There are 17 Guardians of each side, and each has one of 17 elements and a counterpart of the same element."

"Whoa whoa whoa," interrupted Eddy. "What's all this about Guardians?"

"Believe it or not, there are supernatural forces in this world," the professor explained. "It is my field of study."

"Some study," remarked Eddy sarcastically.

"What significance did these orbs have to them?" asked Double Dee. Stanley threw the orb to him. Double Dee failed to catch it, and awkwardly retrieved it from the floor.

"The reason I came here is actually because I believe you three may be some of the Guardians of Light," said Prof. Stanley. "Double Dee, your wisdom may lead to the traits of Psychic. Eddy, you show the traits of the Fire Guardian, maybe Electric. Ed, you show the abilities of Rock or War."

"Explain these elements," said Double Dee. Eddy was surprised that the usually logical Sockhead was buying into all of this Guardian crap.

"There are seventeen elements: Electric, Psychic, Water, Fire, Rock, War, Steel, Ice, Dragon, Ghost, Darkness, Bug, Poison, Earth, Light, Energy, and Air," said Stanley. "Each has various different abilities learned over time."

"What should we do?" asked Double, incredibly curious.

"You need to venture out into the world, find the Elemental Stones with the help of the Defender, find your Superior, and stop the enemies."

"Superior?" asked Double Dee.

"Two superiors. One for each side. They contain all elemental powers, but require much training." Double Dee nodded at this.

"Can I go home now?" Eddy asked, standing up. "Listen, this is cool and all... But not my thing." Just then, his eyes twinkled, and an odd yellow glow began to emanate from his skin.

"What's going on with Eddy?" asked Ed. "He's all shiny!"

"Wh.. Hey! I'm glowing!" Eddy shouted in disbelief, holding his hand in front of his face.

"Eddy, I need you to say 'Electric Power' right now," he said. Eddy looked confused.

"Electric Power," he said, puzzled. Suddenly, he felt himself become weightless, dropped his ice pack, and began to hover in the air. A white orb surrounded him, changing his shirt into a yellow vest. A basic yellow hat with no added features appeared on his head. The orb became yellow, finally changing his shoes into zip shoes. He dropped to the floor.

"I don't believe it!" Eddy said in shock. "I _am _a Guardian!"

"Whoa," said Ed. He smiled. Eddy seemed to feel much more powerful.

"I feel... different," noted Eddy.

"Athletic, weightless, and nimble?" asked Stanley. Eddy nodded. "It's part of the package. With added physical strength, you can now carry out your powers better."

"So we leave and go find these Elemental Stones?" asked Eddy. Stanley nodded. He pulled out three devices, SEEKERs as they were called.

"These will be your guide," said Stanley. "They can act as a phone, play games, download music, show maps of Earth, tell you more about the guardians, explore the internet, and show you pictures of dinosaurs."

"Why dinosaurs?" asked Double Dee.

"Because dinosaurs are cool," replied Stanley. "Anyway, say goodbye to your parents, do what you need to do, and set out through the forest."

"My parents don't live with me."

"My parents wouldn't miss me."

"I have parents?"

"Right..." said Stanley, walking out of the room.

* * *

It was time for the three to leave. They knew they were prepared. So they set off down the road, into the forest, prepared for their adventure.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: The Eds learn what it feels like to travel. Eddy learns more about his new power, and a new threat arises.


	2. The First Day

_I do not own the TV show or any of the characters from it. However, I do own several original characters presented throughout the story._

* * *

Trudging through the woods, the Eds had started walking hours ago. The opportunity to return home was basically lost (as were the three Eds) the second they crossed the first river.

#2 THE FIRST DAY

"How much farther?" asked Ed. Double Dee groaned as his leg had given out a long time ago. Eddy looked back at them.

"Let's stop now," suggested Eddy. They were all relieved. Eddy sat down on a tree stump. "Gimme my food Double Dee." Double Dee passed him a grapefruit.

"What is this?" asked Eddy. He was staring at the fruit in his hands at disbelief.

"Grapefruit," replied Double Dee. "Nutritious and scrumptious." Eddy couldn't believe this. He tossed the grapefruit and hit Double Dee in the head, sent him to the ground, and rested his head on his arm.

"What happened to the candy bars?" asked Eddy. Double Dee had stood up and brushed himself off.

"I gave them to Rolf," replied Double Dee. "I would have given them to Jonny, but he didn't seem to be at home."

"Why'd you give them away!" Eddy was furious.

"Because we need to eat healthy on our journey, and I won't let you spend our money on filthy Wonka Bars and Reese's!" said Double Dee. Eddy stared at him.

"You're insane," he stated. Double Dee rolled his eyes and pulled out his SEEKER. He checked for messages. None. He sighed and began to set up a tent. After two and a half hours of walking, they were exhausted. Double Dee fiddled with the pegs and ropes before managing to successfully set up a three-man tent.

"Where'd Ed go?" asked Eddy. He realized Ed was nowhere to be found.

"Playing in the mud I presume," replied Double Dee. He sighed and climbed into the tent, placing his sleeping bag and pillow inside. He heard the sound of footsteps. Ed was back. Double Dee climbed out to see Ed with a log raised over his head. Ed was putting it down for them to sit on. Eddy was in the meantime hanging from a tree branch ripping off twigs and smaller branches. He was tossing them into a tiny little pile. It was likely to make a fire.

"Making a fire?" asked Double Dee. Eddy nodded slowly. Double Dee picked up a rock off the ground. He walked over to the pile and began to rub the rock against another rock found beside the pile. It took some time, but he made a fire.

* * *

"Good marshmallows," said Double Dee, chewing a roasted marshmallow. Eddy and Ed merely nodded, continuing to eat their food. As Double Dee ate his marshmallow, a thought came through his head.

"Orb," he stated. Double Dee pulled out the blue orb. "What were we supposed to do to make it take effect?"

"Who cares?" asked Eddy. "I'm eating." He took a bite out of a roasted hot dog. Double Dee frowned.

"I'll get my SEEKER and contact Professor Stanley," said Double Dee. He turned around and began to walk back to the tent. After a few steps, he tripped over his shoelace and released the orb from his hand.

"That would be mine..." said a voice. Double Dee looked around. _Who was that? _He saw nobody, so he jumped forward and grabbed the orb. As soon as he had picked it up he was in the air. Someone had punched him in the back and thrown him into the air. Eddy turned around.

"Let's move Ed," said Eddy, standing up. "Electric Power!" He began to glow before changing into his Guardian of Light clothing. Eddy looked at what had punched Double Dee. It was some sort of mechanical hog. It was silver with yellow plates around it. It was tall and stood on two legs. And it was able to speak English in a human voice.

_"How do I attack, how do I attack?" _Eddy could merely stare as Double Dee was thrown around. Ed wasn't taking this well. He ran in and grabbed the hog's leg. He pulled its leg and drew it back. He then jumped up and kicked him to the ground.

"Wow..." stated Eddy. He rushed in to pull Double Dee out of the fray. As he got to Double Dee's motionless body, Ed came soaring through the air. He crashed right into Eddy's back, throwing both of them to the ground. Eddy looked up at the hog. He was walking towards the trio. Eddy grabbed the orb. He put it in his pocket and did the first thing that came to his head.

"Electricity!" he shouted. Electricity began to serge through his veins. He stood up and charged at the hog, jumping and slamming into the hog's chest. This was not very effective. The hog took another step. Suddenly the hog jumped back. It had stepped into the fire. Eddy now knew its weakness. _Fire. _Eddy looked at Ed.

"Get Double Dee! We have to run!" he said. Ed grabbed Double Dee and ran off into the forest. Eddy looked at the hog before dashing off behind them.

* * *

"Did we get away?" asked Eddy. Ed sat Double Dee on the ground, who was only half-awake. He turned around to see if the creature was still following behind. No. It wasn't. Double Dee's body began to glow a deep blue. Eddy knew what this meant.

"Water Power..." stated Eddy. Double Dee saw the blue surrounding him.

"Water Power," said Double Dee. He was raised off the ground. In the same fashion as Eddy, his outfit began to change into a medium blue. He was dropped on his feet. It was clear to him. _I'm a guardian._

"We need to practice being Guardians of Light," said Double Dee. His wounds were gone. He was healthy, nimble, and capable.

"I only know one move," said Eddy.

"Let's learn more," said Double Dee. He looked at a tree.

"Wave!" he said. Nothing happened.

_"Wave!" _he repeated, throwing his arm forward. A bit of water escaped the air in front of him, forming into a small wave and making a short journey forward. He needed to practice.

"Lightning Strike!" said Eddy forcefully. A mere spark appeared in front of his face. He wasn't able to perform the move.

_"Wave!" _said Double Dee once more. This time a slightly more powerful wave moved forward before splashing onto the ground.

_"WAAVE!" _Another wave shot up, very tall. It shot forward before splashing down onto the tree stump.

"Big Bolt!" said Eddy, throwing his hands forward in a Kamehameha method. A ball of electricity shot forward and hit the tree stump. The water on the tree stump caused the bolt to erupt and create a fire on the tree stump which quickly died. A loud crashing sound was heard. _The hog was back..._

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... The trio struggles to deal with their new enemy, and rejoices when they receive help from a new friend.


	3. The Professor's Creation

The beast eliminated every inch of forest in its path as it charged towards the trio. Eddy and Double Dee threw a foot forward and prepared themselves for battle, while their friend Ed stood behind and waited.

"You ready, Double Dee?" asked Eddy.

Double Dee looked to Eddy, half-frowning, and replied, "As I'll ever be."

#3 THE PROFESSOR'S CREATION

"Big Bolt!" shouted Eddy, hurling forth a ball of voltage. Double Dee got to his feet. The ball of electricity collided with the hog's chest and sent it backwards. Double Dee quickly charged forward.

"_This is amazing,"_ thought Double Dee. _"I can run faster, I can breathe better, and I feel better. Being a guardian is great."_

"Wave!" shouted Double Dee, hitting the hog with a tremendous tidal wave and knocking it over. Ed quickly rushed in, jumped up, and latched onto the hog. He began to repeatedly slam his head into the hog. The hog was completely unfazed.

"It's not working, Ed!" shouted Double Dee.

"Out of the way, lumpy!" screamed Eddy. Ed jumped off of the hog and ran away. Eddy quickly fired off another Big Bolt attack, electrocuting the hog.

"Double Dee! We need fire!" said Eddy. Double Dee looked around. He saw the log.

"It will take some good aim," replied Double Dee. "But I have an idea!"

"Let's hear it," said Eddy. The hog got to its feet and began charging. Eddy electrocuted it again.

"If Ed throw the log at it, you can zap it and maybe ignite the log," said Double Dee. "If the hog is afraid of fire, the log may scare it away!" The hog then knocked Double Dee down.

"I must take this from you," said the hog. It then removed the orb from Double Dee.

"No!" said Double Dee. "WAVE!" Double Dee created a big wave, which then flew right at the hog and knocked the orb from it. The orb hit the ground and became caked in water and mud.

"What's happening?" asked Eddy. The orb began vibrating. It then began to enlarge a bit, while unfolding, similar to a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

"It's transforming!" said Double Dee, climbing to his feet. The orb began to develop rabbitlike ears and beady eyes. Limbs quickly formed and a body separated from the head, forming a small, teddy-sized creature.

"Look out!" said Double Dee. "WAVE!" The hog had charged forth towards the tiny creature. The wave hit the hog just as the creature rolled out of the way.

"Nice dodge," said Eddy, impressed.

"Thanks," said the creature. "Yeah, this guy is definitely a present from the Guardians of Evil. You know, me and the Guardians of Evil just don't jive. Call it an instinct."

Ed was up off the ground again, charging towards the hog.

"Ed, I thought we said to stay back!" said Eddy. Ed was not listening. He picked up the hog and began to spin it around. He then proceeded to chuck it at a tree, shattering both the hog and the tree.

"WHOA, HE IS TOUGH!" said the creature running over to him. "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"Yeah!" cheered Ed.

"You MUST be the War Guardian!" said the creature.

"Nope," replied Ed.

"He isn't a Guardian," replied Double Dee. "At least, not at the moment."

"I see," replied the creature. "Allow me to make a fancy introduction. My name's Marudo. The pleasure is all yours."

"My name is Edd," said Double Dee. "But others call me Double Dee. And that is Ed, with one D. Just call him Ed. And that's Eddy over there."

"You're the water guardian, right Double Dee?" asked Marudo.

"Of course," replied Double Dee.

"Judging by all the yellow he must be the electric guardian," stated Marudo.

"Yeah," replied Eddy.

"Let's get out of this slum," said Marudo. "Egmar City is just ahead."

"Egmar City?" asked Double Dee.

"You have never heard of Egmar City?"

"No, no I haven't," Double Dee replied.

"You must be very sheltered, I take it?" asked Marudo.

"However did you know?"

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... The Eds, with their new friend, finally arrive in the city, when Marudo reveals the need to pick up one of their "friends" from back home. Who could it be?

A/N: I never did realize just how short this chapter was compared to the others. Fortunately, the chapter accomplishes everything needed of it. Keep reading, folks, it only gets better from here!


	4. Eddy Picks Up A Parasite

Previously, in _Guardians of Ed_, the orb transformed into the Defender, Marudo. The hog was defeated, and the Eds learned their next destination: Egmar City.

* * *

Extinct were the days when the three Eds would sit behind the cheaply-made stands with a horrid sign, desiring nothing more than to swindle pocket change from the other children in their cul-de-sac in Peach Creek.

#4 EDDY PICKS UP A PARASITE

"What are you, Marudo?" asked Double Dee. "You don't seem to be something I'm familiar with."

"In other words, you don't exist," Eddy remarked.

"Oh, I'm the professor's own creation. He's made a couple of us, but we don't really have a name for our species. Unofficially, he called us the Defenders."

"Hey Lumpy, let me see your watch," Eddy said. Ed held out his arm. Eddy grabbed his wrist and brought it down to his height, looking at the watch.

"12:30?" asked Eddy.

"Yup," said Ed, clueless as always.

"But that can't be," said Double Dee. "The sun is at a 135 degree angle. It's got to be later than that."

"Your watch sucks, Ed," Eddy said.

"Your mattress sucks," Ed replied, stupidly.

"So does your mom," Eddy cracked.

"What would Ed's mother suck?" Double Dee asked.

"Try my d-"

"Whoa!" Double Dee shouted. "No! Let's not go there!"

"So the professor was right!" Marudo said.

"Right? About what?" Double Dee asked.

"Obviously about Ed's mom sucking my-"

"Eddy!" replied Double Dee, sternly.

"He knew you'd make a bunch of dirty jokes like that," Marudo said.

"No wonder he's a professor..." said Eddy.

"We're here, gentlemen!" Double Dee shouted, pointing ahead. There was a city, a huge city. A city with skyscrapers and cars, just like the movies would've emphasized.

"Why did we need to come here?" asked Eddy.

"No reason, really," Marudo said. "Just picking up someone and passing right through."

"Who are we 'picking up'?" asked Double Dee.

"One of those guys from your cul-de-sac," Marudo replied. The rest of the walk was quiet. Soon, they were passing by the sign, coming into the town boundaries.

"Where is he?" asked Eddy.

"He should be h- there!" Just ahead of them was a rather familiar, tan boy.

"Jonny?" asked Eddy. "Okay, I don't need Jonny 2x4 following us around!"

"Yes you do," Marudo replied. "Over here, Jonny!"

"Oh, hiya little blue guy! Hi Ed! Hi Double Dee! Hi E-"

"I'm sure you are, Jonny," Eddy said, incredibly annoyed already.

"I am what?" Jonny asked.

"Nevermind him, Jonny," Double Dee said.

"I know I don't!" Ed said. Eddy rolled his eyes.

"Let's get out of here," Eddy said. "And we'll leave Jonny in the recycling bin."

"No, he stays," Marudo said. "We need him."

"Can't we trade him in for... I dunno, Nazz? Rolf? Even Sarah would be... on second thought, Nazz'll be fine. And by fine... I mean... FINE," Eddy said.

"Sorry, we have to take him with us!" Marudo proclaimed.

"It'll be fun hanging out together!" Jonny said.

"You're the only one that's going to be hanging..." replied Eddy.

"I'll hang!" Ed exclaimed. Eddy's face was in his palm at this point.

"Where's that 2x4 of yours?" Eddy asked.

"Who? Plank?" Jonny asked. "Oh, my parents told me he's on vacation!" He sniffled a bit.

"It's okay, friend!" Ed said, picking him up and hugging him.

"We are wasting so much time!" Eddy said.

"Be patient, Eddy," said the brainiac.

"The closest I'll come to 'patient' is when I get rushed to the emergency room for my blood pressure. It's rising _pret-ty _fast."

"We shall be heading off then," Marudo said.

"Hey, you kids!" came a female's voice. They looked over and saw a female officer coming towards them. Double Dee felt Marudo hiding himself in his shirt.

"H-hello officer," Double Dee said. "Is there a problem?"

"There might be," she said. "Do you kids have your Education Licenses?"

"Education Licenses?" asked Double Dee.

"Yes, your Education Licenses! What are you, illegal immigrants?"

"That's offensive, officer," replied the brainiac.

"If you don't have your Education Licenses, you cannot travel. You will not be permitted to leave the city until you have them."

"And how do we get these licenses?" asked Double Dee.

"You can each get a license by attending the local university for a whole term," the officer replied.

"But we're important!" Eddy shouted.

"No exceptions," she replied. Eddy became quiet and visibly annoyed. Double Dee swore he heard him mumble something about 'pumping 5000 volts' into something.

"Not even for a bunch of cute kids?" asked Jonny.

"Cute kids?" Double Dee asked.

"Jonny?" Eddy began.

"What?"

"Are you gay?"

"Gay as can be, Eddy!" Clearly Jonny had the denotation of the word 'gay' in mind.

"Point is, you kids aren't leaving until you get those licenses," the officer said. She turned and walked away.

"So what should we do?" Eddy asked.

Ed was first to make a suggestion: "We can get aliens to come in and pick us up in a UFO and-"

"No," Eddy said plainly.

"They-"

"No."

"Abduct-"

"No."

"We should go to school," Double Dee said. "Education is a good thing."

"Smart people, like you, look like jackasses," Eddy remarked.

"How so?" the brainiac questioned.

"Look how you're dressed! Those socks! And purple shorts!"

"Like you dress any better," Double Dee replied.

"We need new clothes," Eddy said.

"We could ask the aliens to bring us-"

"No."

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: The group makes their decision. Will they attend school, or spend their time sneaking around?


	5. If We Went To School

Previously, the group learned they were required to attend school to continue their travels.

#5 IF WE WENT TO SCHOOL

"I don't want to go to this freaking university," said Eddy.

"Deal with it, Eddy," Double Dee said. "It's better than sneaking around all over the place."

"What am I going to do at school of all places?" Eddy asked.

"Take a class you like?"

"What class would I like?" Eddy asked.

"I don't know. Business?"

"They have a class for scamming people?" asked Eddy.

"No! A class for legitimate moneymaking that doesn't infuriate people!" Double Dee explained.

"Whatever you say," Eddy replied. "It's Scamming 101. I'm in."

"Glad you're agreeing to school," Double Dee said.

* * *

Enrollment went on for what felt like hours to Eddy. He sat in his chair with his friends, and Jonny, nearby. His head rested on his hand while his eyelids began to move towards the floor. The dean began to explain things they would need to know. Eddy would obviously entrust Double Dee with filling him in on the essentials later. Finally, their enrollment papers and ID cards were presented. Without a second thought, Eddy rushed to be the first out of the room.

"This has me excited! I'm so ecstatic!" Double Dee said.

"Kill me now," Eddy mumbled. "What did the dean tell us? I wasn't listening?"

"Fill out the forms and present them to him within the week," Double Dee recalled.

"Will you fill mine out?" Eddy asked.

"No."

"Will you fill Ed's out?"

"You know I will," Double Dee remarked.

"Why not mine then?" Eddy asked.

"Does this really need answering?"

"Yes."

"Well, because you are fully capable of doing so yourself, and recently I have reason to find my expectations in you growing... fruitless as it may be."

"I got some fruit for you right here," Eddy said, moving closer.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! I'll do it!"

* * *

Eddy opened the door to Room #104. The room was clean and pristine. He confirmed that this would not be so within the week, as he tossed his backpack onto the bed. Ed piled in behind him, soaring through the air and piling onto his own mattress.

"Mattress nice," Ed said, cuddling up in it. Eddy decided to try his own. Laying back, he sighed.

"Oh wow. Does my mattress still suck, Lumpy?"

"Nope."

* * *

Double Dee appeared at the door to Room #113. He knocked.

"Come in!" said his roommate. Judging by the pitch of his voice, he was likely prepubescent. Double Dee opened the door.

"There must be a mistake, so sorry," he said. Inside was a stunning looking girl, the most stunning he had ever seen. Beautiful shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, square-rimmed glasses, and a simple blue dress. She sat with a book in her hands, looking up to him from her bed. The wall was adorned in posters of various bands, including Oasis, Coldplay, and his favorite, Neutral Milk Hotel.

"This is Room #113," she said. Double Dee sighed to himself happily.

"_She sounds soooo... smart," _he thought. Just then, something clicked. He looked down to his papers.

"Room... #113..." Double Dee said.

"Well, that's a first," she said. "My old roommate just left about an hour ago. She got expelled."

"Expelled?"

"Yeah..." she said. "Smoking in the restrooms. Disgusting thing, smoking."

"Yes, I couldn't agree more," Double Dee said, nodding.

"I guess this is your room, too," she said. "So... make yourself at home." She giggled lightly. Double Dee quietly sat his bags on the bed.

"I'm Edd," he said. "But my friends call me Double Dee."

"I'm Mitsumi," the girl replied. "Nice to meet you, Double Dee." She smiled.

For once in his life, Double Dee did not feel cursed by his slightly feminine appearance.

* * *

Jonny derpily waddled to Room #110. He knocked on the door. There was no answer, so he made his way into the room. As he walked inside, he set his bag down on the floor. Jonny noticed a bag sitting on one of the beds.

"New roommate?" Jonny heard. He turned around and saw a tall, thin boy with spiky brown hair and deep blue eyes. The newcomer had a thin face and a pleasant appeal to him. His black v-neck and jeans implied his laidback personality.

"Yeah," Jonny said. "I'm Jonny!" The newcomer shook his hand.

"Jacob Finch," he replied. "I just got here."

"Me too!"

"Well, nice to share a first day with you... _roomie_."

* * *

The girls' shower room was located by the gym. Two masked figures sneaked around inside, ducking behind lockers and trash cans.

"Are you sure we should be doing this, Eddy?" asked the taller of the two. "I don't want to get in trouble."

"Pipe down, Lumpy. You'll get us caught. You're into girls, right?"

"Yep," Ed said.

"Then shut up and you can see all you want," Eddy said. "If you want girls, this is the best place to find them. They are fresh campus girls, man! Might as well make the most of the situation." Eddy looked up and found a vent on the ceiling.

"Give me a boost, Ed," he said. His tall friend obliged, picking him up and allowing his shorter friend to stand on his hands. Eddy jumped up and grabbed the vent. He began to dangle from it as he stared at the corners. Four screws, easily removable. The con artist reached into his right pocket, while hanging with the other hand. Removing a screwdriver he kept for situations such as these, he began to undo a screw, and another, and another, and another. The vent dropped, with Eddy following.

"Gotcha!" Ed said, catching his friend.

"Thanks, Lumpy," Eddy said. "Throw me back up!" Ed tossed Eddy into the air. Using his newly acquired reflexes, Eddy twisted into the vent and arced into place, vent cover in hand. He held his hand down for Ed to grab. Ed jumped and caught it. Struggling, Eddy did manage to pull his friend up. He replaced the vent and half-screwed it in place. The two began to crawl.

"Alright," whispered Eddy. "I'll look in from one side, you look in from the other." Eddy found a vent cover that was directly over the changing room, full of half-naked girls. He foamed at the mouth as he stared in. Evidently, someone was prepared for situations like the one here.

"AGH!" Eddy shouted as the cover dropped beneath him, hands going with it. He fell completely through and landed on his face. Girls were screaming and running to cover themselves up, while some were running for the door to rat on him. Eddy looked up to see Ed holding his hands down. Eddy jumped, and Ed pulled him up.

"Go! Go!" Eddy screamed. They turned and began to crawl through the vents. The two reached their original entry point and climbed out.

"Run for the room, Lumpy!" Eddy took off ahead of Ed, making a fast sprint towards the room. He had removed his mask and arrived in the hallway containing their room. As he slid around the corner, a taller male stood over him. He grabbed Eddy and slammed him into the wall.

"So, you wanna stare at my girl while she's changing, huh?" he asked, infuriated.

"Yeah," Eddy replied, slightly nervous. The tall one slammed him into the wall, biceps pulsing with fury and abs tightening. His nostrils began to flare and his eyebrows had curled into a furious glare.

"Then I will chew you up and spit you out, kid," he threatened.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: It has been over a year since the last chapter edit. I honestly don't know how long this will take to finish. Just yesterday, the story hit the seven-year mark. Honestly, **I can only say this:** It's got a long way to go, and there's little support to keep me going. Please leave a review and note that **the chapters following this one, as of 7/27/2012, do NOT line up with the first five. **There are several differences, including chapter length, quality of writing, character names and descriptions, and location differentiations.


	6. James Anderson

Previously, the group began their education at Egmar University. They made new friends and settled in, only for Eddy to end up against the wall at the mercy of an angry boyfriend to a girl Eddy saw half-naked.

#6 JAMES ANDERSON

"Who... are you?" Eddy asked.

"Call me Gola," he said. Something clicked in Eddy's head, but he wasn't sure what. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Eddy."

"Well, Eddy. This one's on the house." Gola threw a punch at Eddy, but Eddy moved to the side, causing Gola to slam his fist into the wall. He did not seem a bit pained by this. Eddy pushed him away.

"FIGHT IN THE HALLWAY!" Eddy looked to the right and saw a small kid with freckles, blonde hair, and glasses shouting. People began to open their doors and watch. Eddy felt a blow to the face in his distraction. He hit the wall, but quickly recovered and took a swing at Gola. A good hit to the chin, then a jab to the stomach. He backed up and began to ready himself. Finally, a fight where he was not unfairly outmatched. Ed finally made it into the hallway, mask still on. He stood and watched as Eddy fought.

"Go Eddy!" Ed cheered. Gola took a heavy swing, which Eddy narrowly dodged. He punched at Gola's underarm. Gola took the hit and grabbed this spot. Quickly, he threw his weight forward and slammed Eddy with his elbow before kicking his legs backwards. Eddy fell flat on his face. Gola punched Eddy in the back.

Pain. Eddy felt miserable from this. "Oohs" in sympathy filled the hallway.

"Get up, Eddy!" It was Ed. Eddy was not one to disappoint. He got to his feet. Gola swung again. Eddy stepped back and began to regain his senses. As Gola jumped forward again, Eddy rolled behind him and jumped on his back. Proceeding to punch Gola in the face repeatedly, his luck had begun to turn around. He kicked him away and, in contrast to what had happened earlier, knocked the antagonist on the ground. That was when things really got heated.

"Bad choice, kid," Gola threatened. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a switchblade. The blade extended, and Eddy instantly whirred around to run. Towards Room #113 he ran.

"DOUBLE DEE!" he shouted. The door opened, and his friend looked out to see Eddy fly past with someone following behind with a knife.

"Oh, what has Eddy gotten into now?" Double Dee asked. He turned to Mitsumi. "I have to go help my friend. Be right back!" He scurried off.

Ed was following the action. The fight was no longer one worth watching to anyone else. Soon, the fight would surely be broken up, and it would only consist of Eddy running anyway. Or so they thought.

Eddy burst outside and looked to his right. A ladder! He jumped and began to climb. Eddy's hand hit the rooftop and he instantly pulled himself up and began to run.

Along came Gola, however.

"End of the line, little Eddy," said Gola.

"Nghhh..." Eddy began to think. "ELECTRIC POWER!" Electricity pulsed through his veins. His clothing erupted into his Guardian attire. Gola seemed quite surprised.

"Now I remember you..." Gola said. "You were there when we locked the professor in the closet."

"What? That was you?" Eddy began to remember. "What were you doing there anyway?"

"Don't suppose it'd hurt to share, I'm about to kill a Guardian anyway. We were after the orb. I suppose you know the one."

"Yeah, I know the one," Eddy replied. "Wait... If you wanted the orb then that means... That thing in the forest?"

"Ours," Gola said. "We have more."

"We?"

"The ones of us on... the other side of the law."

"What are you talking about?" Eddy asked.

"ROCK POWER!" Gola donned a gray vest and cap, with a bit of dust clouds floating about him.

"Boulder Toss!" A boulder materialized and flew towards Eddy. He dodged to the side.

"Oh! Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat side of the law." He noticed a familiar sockhead peering over the edge of the roof. Eddy nodded lightly, and Edd went back down.

"Boulder Toss! Rock Slide!" Rocks began to fly from every direction. Eddy began to dodge them, narrowly avoiding every pebble.

"Wave!" A wave swept in and took Gola off his feet.

"Big Bolt!" Eddy launched electricity at Gola, striking him in the chest. As Gola slumped back, Eddy rushed in and swiftly punched him in the face and ripped the switchblade from his hand. Gola kicked Eddy's shin, then punched him as he gripped his leg. Eddy fell back, and Gola came for a punch.

"Electricity!" Eddy shouted, just as Gola hit him. Gola was electrocuted, and he fell back. Double Dee looked on, then decided it was safe to come up.

"He's definitely unconscious," Double Dee said. "Are you alright, Eddy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, powering down. "The Evil Guardians are here."

"What do you mean, Eddy?"

"He's the Rock Guardian. Who knows how many others are in just this school?"

"So, he just attacked you from nowhere?" Double Dee interrogated.

"Well... not exactly... I-"

"Edric MacDonald," called the intercom, "You are wanted in the dean's office."

"Eddy," Double Dee scorned. "What did you do?"

"Umm... later, Sockhead," Eddy said. "Gotta go see the dean." He dropped the switchblade and quickly climbed down from the roof and made his way inside.

"_I'm in trouble," _Eddy thought.

* * *

"Yes, sir?" Eddy asked, as he opened the door to the dean's office. _Dean James T. Anderson_, as the name on the desk read.

"Have a seat," he said. Eddy sat down.

"So, you're very into girls, I take it," the dean said, leaning back in his chair. "Watching girls change, starting a fight, and you haven't even been here a whole day!"

"I didn't start that fight," Eddy said.

"But you certainly had no problem fighting it!" Anderson shouted. "You haven't filled out your enrollment papers, haven't even unpacked I'm sure, and haven't proven yourself to be worth my time! It only seems reasonable to expel you right here, Edric."

"Expel me?" That would really inconvenience the group. "Come on! Don't tell me you didn't do things like this when you were my age! I'm sure you stared at a few girls when you were in school, too!"

Anderson stood up, shoving his chair back and slamming his fist on his desk.

"You are..." Anderson began, "Absolutely right." These words were quite calm compared to the rest. He sat back down and regained his composure. "My principal threatened me with community service. But no, instead, the school counselor decided to have a few sessions with me. So, I suppose we'll give you the same treatment. Go next door and have a talk with Mister Hanton." He began to scribble on a slip of paper, before handing it to Eddy. Eddy glanced at it, but the handwriting was Latin to him. Finally, Eddy walked out of the room.

* * *

As Jonny sat with comic books in hand, Jacob began to examine his own camera. It was quite lavish, obviously expensive, and incredibly gorgeous.

"I should take a photography class," Jacob said.

"I should take a comics class!" Jonny exclaimed.

"Um, not so sure there's a.. comics class, Jonny."

"I can start one!"

"You can't just start a class," Jacob said. "Maybe a club?"

"A comics club!" Jonny said, bouncing to his feet. "Perfect! Ed and I will start a comics club!" He ran out the door. Jacob was a bit stunned.

"My new roommate is an idiot," he said to himself.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: Eddy's talk with Mister Hanton may change his outlook on everything. Double Dee and Mitsumi attempt to become closer. Jonny and Ed start a comics club. Jacob attempts to join the photography class. The Evil Guardians begin to move.

A/N: A shorter chapter. This chapter's main purpose is to prepare Eddy as a character for the change he needs to truly be a guardian.


	7. Becoming A Hero

Previously, Eddy defeated Gola the Evil Rock Guardian and was called to the dean's office before being sent off to the counselor.

#7 BECOMING A HERO

Jacob entered the photography classroom, where Ms. Spring sat behind her desk. She was quite elderly, with round spectacles and gray hair put up in a bun. Her wrinkly face was pressed into a copy of Pride and Prejudice.

"Ms. Spring?" Jacob asked. The teacher looked up.

"Yes?" she asked in a "regal" voice, as Jacob would've described it.

"I'd like to join the class," he said politely.

"You would, then?" She sat her book down. "Have you the necessary qualifications?"

"Yes, I believe so," he replied. "I have been into photography since I was just seven and my dad taught me all the tricks."

"Is that so?" Her voice sounded approving. "Well then, take one of these sheets and get all the required scenarios. If the pictures suffice, you can be in the class." Jacob looked at the sheets she motioned to. He took it and saw the list of five scenarios of increasing difficulty.

"Thank you, Ms. Spring," he said, leaving the room.

"_First scenario: Leisure. Take a picture of someone enjoying a hobby," _Jacob read. That sounded easy enough.

* * *

Double Dee finished filling out the forms. He desperately hoped Eddy's was still needed, as he could have very possibly been expelled. Mitsumi was sitting on her bed, iPod playing and book opened. As she had been deeply into it, Double Dee could not tell what book it was, nor could he ask on account of the music in her ears. As he put the sheets away, he began to go through his bag. Finding the exact object he had hoped for, he pulled out a rectangular case about two feet long. The braniac set it down and opened it, revealing the separated pieces of a flute. Assembling the instrument, Double Dee cleaned off the occasional fingerprint he saw.

"You play flute?" Mitsumi asked. She had removed her headphones now.

"Why yes, since I was ten," Double Dee replied.

"Cool! Me too!" she said, excitedly.

"Really?"

"Yes! What else do you play?" she began to question.

"Steel guitar, cello, horn, bass guitar, and musical saw," he replied. "Though my musical saw playing is... mediocre at best."

"I've never heard of anyone playing musical saw anyway," Mitsumi said. "You should join the orchestra!"

"Really?" Double Dee asked. "You think so?"

"Well..." she said. "I don't know. You haven't played anything." Double Dee grinned, put the plate to his lips, and began to flawlessly breeze through Flight of the Bumblebee at top speed. His fingers danced like a maniac as he went through every note with precision and deadly air support. Finally, he finished.

"Yes. You definitely should join the orchestra."

* * *

Jacob laid in his bed, just pondering. He thought, "Alright, I took a picture of the chess players. I got the scenery. The awkward expression was easy enough. I managed a shot of something falling through midair (coffee in this case). But what about a kiss? That's the last shot. Where can I find a kiss?" A light flashed in his window as he gasped, "What the hell?" Jacob looked outside and found Ed and Jonny in a helicopter.

Jonny yelled, "Hey, roomie! You wouldn't happen to know where the pool was?"

Ed said, "No! We know where the pool is. We're supposed to ask him how to drive a helicopter."

Jonny called out, "Oh, never mind!" Suddenly, the helicopter flew away quickly.

Jacob, stunned, muttered, "Well, that ruined the atmosphere..."

* * *

"Mister Hanton?"

"Yes, Eddy, take a seat." Eddy walked into the counselor's office and shut the door behind him. It was quite nice, he had to admit. Green walls adorned with various objects including a swordfish and pictures of family.

"So, Eddy," Mister Hanton began. He was rather young looking, no older than twenty-five. He had a muscular build that a typical suit could not hide. His eyebrows were thick and his hair was nicely combed.

"So..."

"You want to tell me what exactly happened once this fight began?" Hanton started.

"Not especially," Eddy replied.

"Great start," Hanton said sarcastically. "Alright, then tell me about you."

"I have four hairs on my head," Eddy thoroughly elaborated.

"Okay, more specific," Hanton corrected. "What has life with your parents been like?"

"Well, my mom was alright," Eddy began. "I was her favorite between me and my brother, she hated him. So, she usually did all the parent stuff."

"What about your father?"

"My dad hated me and Thornton both," he detailed. "He was an auto salesman. He'd always get mad about my grades and complain when I didn't do something right. I remember him and Thornton getting into it just before he moved out. They boarded up his room when he left."

"So, you don't really like your dad?"

"No, not really," Eddy said.

"What about your mom? Do you like her?"

"There's moments," Eddy said.

"Right," he muttered. "I noticed you used past-tense words in your descriptions. Why?"

"I left home," Eddy replied.

"I see. Important things to do?"

"You have no idea."

"But I do," Hanton countered. "Being the Electric Guardian must be very difficult for you."

* * *

Jonny and Ed emerged from the helicopter, which had crashed into a ditch just near the university. The two were, of course, unharmed (stupidity is the first step to invincibility). Though a bit stirred, the pair made their way back to the school.

"What do we need to do to start this club?" Jonny asked.

"Beats me," Ed said. "Walk into a room and decorate?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Jonny retorted, ecstatic to begin.

* * *

Double Dee and Mitsumi emerged from the orchestra hall.

"I told you they'd love to have you!" Mitsumi said.

"Gee, I'm blushing," Double Dee rejoiced. "Maybe I could convince Eddy to join. He could use some recreation."

"Your friend that got in the fight?" asked Mitsumi.

"Yes."

"You'll be lucky if he isn't expelled," she preached.

"The dean's office was opened when we passed. I think he got to walk away," rejoiced the brainiac. She smiled and looked out the window. There were a few seconds of silence.

"Want to go out to the fountain?" Mitsumi invited.

"Sure, the fountain sounds lovely!" he agreed.

* * *

"Wow, Gola. Sounds like the kid kicked your ass." The room was dark, with a single table in the center. A single dim light shone down from above, with seven simple wooden chairs crowded around it. Only four were in the room at the time. Gola was among them, along with a rather tough looking blonde girl, a blond male with a muscular build who was criticizing Gola's fight, and a shady boy silently watching on.

"Hey! I was going easy on him! I didn't expect him to reveal his powers like that," Gola replied. "Call it 'analyzing' him."

"Maybe so," replied the blond. "I would've gotten a few good hits and then left."

"We can't all be cocky, Nero," said the blonde girl, laughing.

"What would you have done?" the blond male implored. "Made him a sandwich?" The hooded figure smirked, which was the diminishable little brother of the laughter roaring from Gola's lungs. The blonde girl frowned and slapped him with a loud sound akin to that of a whip soaring through the air. Quickly, the room became silent as the red handprint formed.

"I'm thinking we should make plans for graduation," she said. "It'd be the best time to show ourselves to the 'wittle Gola-killer' and his friends."

* * *

"How do you know about that?" Eddy asked. Mister Hanton smiled.

"Eddy, my brother told me all about your adventure," Hanton said.

"Professor Stanley?" Hanton nodded.

"Stanley Hanton, an expert in the elements and informant to the seventeen Guardians of Light. Creator of the Defenders and rather skilled poker player."

"Whoa," Eddy said, astonished.

"The relationship is astounding you, no?"

"Professor Stanley never taught me how to be good at poker?" Eddy asked, confused. Hanton sighed to himself.

"Try to deviate from that," Hanton said. He leaned forward. "You need to step up. There's important things that have to be done, and you have quite a lot of work to do."

"Step up?" Eddy asked. "I've done fine so far."

"Eddy. There's eighteen people to match, and so far you have found one besides yourself. You have two skills, while each of them have dozens. The only reason Gola didn't kill you was because he needed to know what he was up against. Now, he knows, and he has nothing at all to worry about. So, I suggest it's time for you to drop this selfish nature and become the hero the Guardians need. Someone's got to lead, and right now, it looks like that will be _you_." Eddy was silent for a minute or two. He looked down. His hands were gripping the seat he sat in. Finally, he looked Hanton in the eyes, with confidence.

"How should I start?"

* * *

Double Dee and Mitsumi sat on the fountain's edge, hands side by side. They were shyly looking away from each other. It seemed as if each waited for the other to begin a conversation.

Finally, Double Dee started with, "It's been really nice sharing a room with you. You're... nice. Very nice." Mitsumi looked at him and smiled.

"You're sweet," she said. "Very... sweet."

At that moment, Jacob was lucky enough to get a picture of the fifth scenario.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: Eddy starts in a new direction, beginning his redemption. Mitsumi and Double Dee's relationship begins to sprout. The orchestra has its first rehearsal.

A/N: It's my decision to remove the following chapters, as they are currently outdated and confusing the new readers thoroughly. They will be saved to my computer for the sake of reference.


	8. Volunteer

Randall Stephens, who called himself Randy, was quite an ambitious teenager. At seventeen, he finally got accepted as Egmar's first volunteer firefighter. He felt it was his calling, helping people. Though some would say he was terrible at his job, he rightly felt his heart was in the right place.

One day, Randy Stephens was called into the boss's office. It was an upsetting meeting, as Randy found himself removed from the station due to his incompetence. Randy took his self-bought fire extinguisher and left the building in sadness.

It would later become the best thing that ever happened to him.

#8 VOLUNTEER

"How'd it go, Eddy?" Double Dee asked as Eddy shut the door to Hanton's office. He had happened to notice his friend emerging after he himself had turned in the forms.

"Great," Eddy said. "Heard some things I needed to hear."

"That's great to hear, Eddy!" Double Dee said. "Oh, I've wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" Eddy asked.

"How's your guitar playing gone lately?"

"Not bad," Eddy replied. "Why?"

"Mitsumi and I joined the orchestra and I thought maybe you'd like to join," Double Dee said.

"Mitsumi?"

"Yes."

"Who's Mitsumi?"

"My roommate."

"Is he Japanese?"

"She," corrected Double Dee.

"You're rooming with a girl?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is she Japanese?"

"No, Eddy."

"Oh."

"So are you joining the orchestra?"

"Yeah," Eddy responded. "I'll join the orchestra."

* * *

Ed and Jonny finished dumping the desks out the classroom window. The Physics teacher was not happy about Ed throwing her out the door and locking her out, nor was she going to pass up telling the dean about it.

"This room looks great now!" Ed said. It was empty.

"You said it, Ed!" Jonny agreed.

"What do we do now?" Ed asked.

"I guess we find people to join," Jonny suggested.

"Wanna ask Double Dee?" proposed Ed.

"I dunno," Jonny pondered. "He doesn't like comics."

"What do we do then?"

"We could make fliers!"

"You mean like the planes with the words on the back that fly and tell people stuff?" Ed wondered.

"Exactly! Come on, let's go get some fliers!"

* * *

Eddy had managed to be added into the roster just before the first rehearsal. He took his spot in the strings section, along with Double Dee on bass and the newly introduced Mitsumi on mandolin. Next to him was a single guitarist: Jack Carpenter.

"Good morning everyone," the director said. He was short and rather walrus-like in appearance, with a fluffy gray moustache and just a bit of hair.

"Good morning," the voices of the orchestra echoed.

"I am your director, Mister Newell," he said. "I'd like to challenge you all right here, right now. Does anyone here _not _know how to read music?" Not a soul raised their hand. "Excellent. Open your folders. Let's have some fun." There were a few chuckles, followed by gasps as the folders opened.

"Abram's Pursuit," Double Dee read. "Oh dear."

"What's wrong?" Eddy asked.

"We're about to have our hands full," said Double Dee.

"Better get used to it now," Eddy said. "I think there's going to be a lot of that in our future."

* * *

"That went rather well," Mitsumi said, as she walked down the hall with Eddy and Edd.

"Yeah, but the other guitarist didn't say anything," Eddy replied. "All those piercing and that emo hair, he was kind of scary."

"Oh, don't judge by looks, Eddy," Double Dee said.

"I guess you're right," Eddy said. "So... what're you guys doing tonight?"

"We were going out for ice cream," Double Dee responded.

"Great," Eddy mumbled. "Guess I'll hang with Ed or something." He turned to the left down the hall and walked away.

"Is he okay?" Mitsumi asked.

"I think he might be a little... jealous," Double Dee gathered. "He's being less... rude than usual."

"Well that's a good thing isn't it?" Mitsumi asked.

"I really hope so," admitted Double Dee.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, as the sun was preparing to fall, Randy Stephens walked down the sidewalk, kicking a pebble along. With his hands in his pockets, he began to ponder where his life would go from here.

"Maybe I could start my own fire department," was one thought. "Maybe I can become a hitman. Maybe I can become the next Batman. No, that would require money. Batman isn't even a good superhero anyway." He stopped for a jelly filled doughnut and devoured it as he dragged himself along.

That was when his life changed.

"Hey you, with the sock on your head!" Randy turned and saw a rather thin boy with a 'sock on his head' and a blonde girl with glasses. He assumed they were a couple, as they had both gotten some ice cream. As the thin boy turned around, something weird happened. There was a blond guy. He shot what looked like lightning, right from his hand. The boy dropped his ice cream and hit the ground. His girlfriend was screaming. Was he okay?

"Should I help? No, I could die. What if he dies? What if we all die?" Randy was relieved to see the boy get up. Randy began to edge closer, taking cover behind a trash can.

"Mitsumi," he said. "Step back. This is going to be a little scary." The girl, Mitsumi, moved away.

"Water Power!" he shouted. His clothing turned into a blue vest and a cap, and he donned some fingerless gloves. Randy knew something was about to go down.

"Boiling water!" The boy threw his hand forward and launched steaming water from his wrist. It connected with the blond, and he screamed as his skin began to redden.

"Big Bolt!" retorted the electricity-user. He fired a ball of lightning.

"What are they?" wondered Randy. The lightning connected with the water user. It didn't take a genius to realize that electricity was way more powerful than water. As the sockhead struggled, his girlfriend became absolutely frightened.

"Wave!" he shouted, throwing forward a large force of water. It knocked the electric man off balance. The sockhead ran forward and punched him in the face.

"Thousand Volt!" The electrician's hands lit up and connected with the sockhead's chest. This went on for a good three seconds, and it didn't look like it was about to stop. Randy did the unthinkable.

"Here comes me!" He ran out with his fire extinguisher and sprayed the antagonist in the face, canceling out his electricity. Randy didn't stop. He continued to unload the firefighting tool on his foe until he fell to the ground.

"Yeah, you like that?" Randy taunted. He stopped spraying. Covered in the foam, the electrician stood up.

"You can't be safe for long, Guardian!" The antagonist took off and ran the other way. Randy turned to the water user, on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Randy asked. He saw a slight nod. The girl named Mitsumi was still shocked.

"Double Dee," she cried, running to his side. She knelt beside him. "What do you need me to do, Double Dee?"

"Dorm," he muttered. His eyes shut and his head fell to the side. She looked at Randy, fear in her eyes.

"I think he'll be fine," Randy suggested. "He's probably really tired though." He had learned calmness helped in these situations. Randy stepped over and put his arm around the sockhead, helping him to his feet.

"Show me where I need to go," he told Mitsumi. She began to walk with him, back to the university.

Randy had never felt like such a hero.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... Eddy's business class takes a trip to a local office. With Eddy away and Double Dee resting following the attack, who will save the day when the Guardians of Evil create a threat that could endanger the whole university?

A/N: It feels good to reintroduce Randy, this time as an original character rather than him being _the _Randy Quench (though he maintains several qualities of the character).


	9. The Monster

Ed had never been smart. He had never been talented. Never in Ed's life had anything exceptional happened to him. Always, Ed had been the oblivious onlooker. Deep down, Ed was sad.

#9 THE MONSTER

Randy stumbled into Room #113 with Double Dee and Mitsumi. The fireman placed the exhausted boy on his bed. He was out cold.

"What was that back there?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Mitsumi answered, jittery and quite nervous. "I've never seen him do that."

"I'd say your boyfriend has a gift," Randy replied. "He should rest for a few days." With that, he rushed out of the room.

"Wait!" Randy scurried back to the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," she said. He saluted, and took off down the hallway.

* * *

Eddy stepped onto the bus, behind the infamous Jack Carpenter. The door closed behind him, as he was the last onto the bus. As it turned out, every seat was full, save for two. He ended up sitting next to Jack. Awkwardness was abound as the bus took off for Pencil Pushers. For the period, neither would speak. However, when the nerdy kid that pointed out Eddy's fight with Gola stood up to begin walking forward, something happened. A larger kid stuck his foot out, tripping the kid. Jack snickered along with Eddy and generally everyone on the bus.

"Haha, my brother used to do that to people on the bus all the time," Eddy said.

"I used to do that to my brother," contrasted Jack. The two laughed together. "You're the other guitarist, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm Eddy," he replied.

"Jack. You owned Abram's."

"Thanks." It would be quite a while before the two would realize how important they would become to each other.

* * *

Ed didn't know what this thing was. He had a good idea where it came from and why, but that didn't change the fact that it was dangerous and probably ready to crush him. It was some kind of rock monster, about eleven feet tall. Several boulders made up the creature's body. The monster was knocking everything out of its path, tearing the halls of Egmar University apart. Students and teachers alike fled from it.

"Where's Eddy? Where's Double Dee?" Ed wondered. "I'm scared." The monster approached Ed. It looked down on him.

"Ed!" It was Marudo.

"Mary!" Ed shouted. "What should I do? That thing's going to kill everyone just like King Ghidorah!"

"Who?"

"King Ghidorah!"

"I d- watch out!" Ed looked up to see a large boulder crashing down on him in the form of the monster's foot. Ed grabbed the boulder and fought to hold it up, though slowly the monster prevailed. With no choice, Ed rolled out of the way.

"What do I do, Mary?"

"It's Marudo!" corrected the Defender. "And I'm not sure, but I suggest you either get Guardian powers right now or you find some dynamite, because your friends can't help right now!" As Ed began to glow white, Marudo's eyes widened.

"Convenient, but I'll take it," Marudo said. "Ed! Say Rock Power!"

"Rock Power?" Ed's shoulders buffed up under his green jacket as it became solid black, as shoulderpads had formed to help him with his role as the new powerhouse of the group. His shirt became solid light gray, and his shoes became black zip sneakers. A black cap formed on his head, and Ed suddenly found himself feeling better than ever.

"I am Edwarrior! I cannot be stopped!" he shouted.

"Why don't you try that thing where you catch his foot again?" Marudo suggested. As he said this, the monster prepared to step on Ed once more. Ed was ready. He grabbed the boulder, pulled, and then threw the boulder creature to the ground. Like a mighty samurai, he soared through the air and landed on the monster's chest. A series of punches flew across the rocky face of the enemy. Ed's calloused fist did not have the most desirable effect, as he found his knuckles bruised and red as could be.

"That's no good, Ed! You gotta use a Guardian attack!"

"Like what?"

"I dunno? Try... um... Rock Shatter?"

"Rock Shatter!" There was a twinkle in Ed's eye, his expression went blank, and he automatically threw his fist straight through the monster's face. Rock and dust erupted from the wound, and the creature screamed. It grabbed Ed and threw him across the hall, where he slammed into the wall. As he hit the ground, there was quite a bit of pain in his back. In his head, he pictured the perfect plan. How would he pull it off?

"Golem Transform!" he attempted. Just like that, he grew to about ten feet in size, and became fully covered in stone. He seemed less oblivious and more "concentrated." All that mattered was smashing that monster into oblivion.

"Yeah, go Ed!" cheered Marudo. The little blue Defender was quite excited. Golem Ed marched over to the monster and began to beat him on the ground, just like he had seen in the monster movies. As the monster roared, Ed was magnificent and completely unstoppable. Bits of rock exploded as Ed punctured the monster's body. Finally, it could take no more. The boulders gave in and fell apart. No more life could be found in the monster. Ed climbed down and transformed back to his human form.

"Ed," Marudo started. "THAT WAS AWESOME!" Ed smiled. The victory would not be long celebrated.

"Well fought, Rock Guardian." Ed turned around. It was Gola, along with the blond that attacked Double Dee (of course, Ed had not yet found out about the attack) and a blonde girl.

"Who are you?" Ed asked.

"Ed," whispered Marudo. "Those are the Evil Guardians. You can't take them just yet. Not alone."

"So, we heard there's an Elemental Stone in this school somewhere," said Gola.

"Where'd you hear that from?" asked Marudo.

"The counselor," replied the antagonist. "Amazing how much you can get someone to talk just by holding a switchblade up to their neck."

"Damnit, Hanton," muttered Marudo. He looked up. "We will find it first!"

"No you won't," replied Gola half-playfully. "That chip is ours."

"Look, Moriarty," taunted Marudo. "You got beat up by a kid who knows like two and a half attacks."

"It's true," muttered Nero.

"Shut up, Nero!" said Gola, elbowing him. "You got taken down by a guy with a fire extinguisher!"

"I was outnumbered," he retorted.

"Anyway!" Gola said. "You may have that ball of thunder and dumbass here, but as long as your Water Guardian is unconscious and we have so many numbers, you don't stand a chance."

"What'd you do to Double Dee?" Ed shouted.

"I pumped him full of electricity," Nero said.

"What?" Marudo shouted. Nero and Gola laughed.

"I suggest you just give up," Nero said. "We're off to find that stone. Byeee." The three Evil Guardians turned to leave.

"Things are worse than we thought."

"Like... movie remakes?"

"Basically. Maybe even worse."

Ed cried, "No!"

* * *

"Ah, yes," Jacob said as he snapped the piece in place. "My camera is now the best camera in the world." He took a picture of Jonny's bed. The picture displayed, and the screen brought up information including the material of the comforter and what was under it. There was a knock at the door. Jacob got up and opened it. He was quickly pushed back as the door slammed.

"What have you figured out?" asked Nero.

"Nothing," Jacob replied, looking down.

"Nothing?" Nero questioned. "You room with a Guardian and you find nothing?"

"He's not a Guardian, he's some idiot with a big head, that's all," Jacob combated.

"I'm telling you, he's a Guardian," Nero insisted. "He has to be. Why else would they have brought him along?"

"Well he sure hasn't acted like a Guardian!"

"Then he's doing part of his job right! He's keeping it secret! That's how this stuff works!" Nero said. "You find out everything about them!"

"It's not that easy," Jacob suggested. "He hasn't even attempted to be a friend or anything! I can't do it!"

"You can," Nero demanded. "And you will. You are on our side, right?" Jacob stood silent for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm on your side," he said.

"Good. Make it happen." Nero opened the door and swiftly slammed it as he scurried off to catch up with the others.

"Damn," muttered Jacob, planting his face in his pillow.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: The first of the seventeen Elemental Stones is discovered. Will Eddy and Double Dee return to the halls of Egmar University in time to beat the Evil Guardians to it? Who else can help them? And what do the stones even do?

A/N: Finally! Some Ed-centric stuff! Some hopelessness to build the suspense! Oh, can't handle the intensity!


	10. Randy Recalls

In the previous chapter: When Eddy went on a trip with his business class, he began to hit it off with the mysterious Jack. Randy brought Double Dee back to his room to recover from the attack. The Evil Guardians released a stone monster to attack the school. With Marudo's help, Ed tapped into his power and became the Rock Guardian, before learning of the existence of one of the seventeen Elemental Stones.

* * *

Randy piled into Mister Hanton's room covered in cuts and bruises.

"Hello, Randy. What are you doing here? You graduated last semester! My, what happened to you?" Hanton asked.

"Crazy things," Randy replied exhaustedly. "I'm gonna tell you all about it. Just let me get comfy." Hanton set his pen down and watched as Randy attempted to relax. "Your couch sucks."

"That's my coffee table, Randy," said Hanton.

"Oh," Randy said, struggling but eventually making his way over to the couch.

"So what happened to you?" Hanton repeated.

"Alright, you want to know what happened," Randy interpreted. "It's a crazy story, of war, and crime, and _death_."

#10 RANDY RECALLS

Randy explained how he had helped Double Dee, the attack, the fire extinguisher, and helping him home.

"That doesn't explain the cuts," Hanton said. "What about the war? The death? Granted, that covers the crime."

"I'll get to that," Randy replied. "You just needed some background. Anyway..."

* * *

Just hours earlier, Randy walked through the school. He had just dealt with the revealing and eye-opening experience of the sockhead's ("You mean Edd?" "I don't know!") attack. That's when he heard it: Screaming. The fireman in Randy clicked, and he sprung into action. Rushing towards the sound, he felt himself getting closer and closer to both the terror and his lunch break ("You got any food, sir?").

Randy watched as Ed transformed into the Rock Guardian and pounded a stone behemoth into nothingness. It was a weird day that could only get weirder. To his left came a familiar face. It was the attacker, along with a muscular man and a small girl. Quickly, Randy ducked into a nearby classroom and peeked through the window.

"Well fought, Rock Guardian," said the big one.

"Who are you?" asked the one who had just transformed into the rock golem and defeated the enemy. This exchange revealed the existence of an Elemental Stone somewhere in the school. As the three walked away, Randy was left to wonder. So he had gathered, there were two sets of Guardians, one good, one bad? And he had watched the bad lightning one attack the good water one?

* * *

Back in the present, Hanton asked, "So... What happened after that?"

"Well, Mister Hanton, I'll tell you," told Randy.

* * *

Randy left the classroom. The 'good stone Guardian' had vanished. Now, Randy was confused. As he walked down the halls towards the exit, he saw a kid with a large bald head walking towards him.

"Hey, have you seen Ed?" he asked.

"Who?"

"Ed?"

"Who?"

"Ed."

"Who?"

"My friend Ed?"

"Who?"

"Tall guy with a thin head, ginger hair, possibly flying a plane?"

"Um, maybe," Randy said. "There was this one guy. Is this Ed guy a... Guardian?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh, well," Randy began. "He was just here. I don't know where he went."

"Oh," Jonny said, slightly disappointed. "Thanks anyway!"

* * *

Here, in the present, Hanton stopped him, "So he just gave away the fact that his friend was a... Guardian?"

"Yeah, basically," Randy replied.

"Alright, what happened after that?"

"Well, I decided to follow him. He found his friend, and basically I just watched them walk around and look for this stone thing," Randy said.

"Did they find it?"

"Kind of," Randy said.

* * *

Ed and Jonny had checked every janitorial closet in the building. They'd gone to the commons, the lobby, just about everywhere they could go.

* * *

"So? Where was it?"

"The dean's office," replied Randy. "The dean called them over the intercom to ask them why they locked a teacher out of her classroom."

"How'd you overhear this?"

"I just kind of walked in and sat down," Randy explained.

"They didn't say anything to you?"

"Nope."

"Oh," Hanton replied. "Alright then. Continue. Where was this Elemental Stone?"

* * *

Randy continued the story. The door burst open, and in came the three Evil Guardians.

"Alright, Anderson! Give up the stone!" Gola shouted.

"You three have a lot of nerve to barge in like this!" shouted the dean, standing up. Gola grabbed him by the collar.

"Do you want to die, sir?"

"Do you want a 10 and a half soaring right up your ass?" Gola released Anderson and threw him onto the desk. Papers and pens scattered, and one of the legs of the desk gave out. Nero and the blonde girl began to join Gola in searching the desk.

"Aha!" the girl said, pulling out a glass case containing a figurine of some strange looking robot man.

"Hey! I'll have you know my sister gave that to me!" Anderson shouted. "Hand it over!" She did not listen. As soon as the glass hit the side of the desk, it shattered. The figurine was taken out and snapped in half.

"What is that thing?" he asked, as a glowing yellow stone fell out of the figure and perfectly into the girl's hand.

"This is the Electric Elemental Stone," she said. "The Electric Guardian's powers are increased when this is in his possession."

"You're mad," Anderson said.

"No, you're mad," Nero said.

"BOULDER TOSS!" A huge rock came flying across the room, taking out both Nero and the girl holding the stone. Ed rushed in and grabbed the stone.

"Let's go Jonny!" he shouted. Randy stood up and followed them out as they rushed away. Anderson wobbled out of the office behind them.

Together, Ed, Jonny, and Randy ran from the pursuing Evil Guardians.

"Where's Eddy?" Jonny wondered.

"I don't know!" Ed replied. They arrived in the lobby of the school. A massive boulder flew towards them. Ed and Jonny jumped out of the way and hit the ground with a thud.

"Hand over the stone or you will meet your fate!" Nero said. He held his hands out to the side and began to charge up electricity.

"No!" Ed retorted. "You're the bad guy!"

"You wanna see how much of a bad guy I- NOT AGAIN!" The electricity in his hands shorted out as Randy sprayed him down with the fire extinguisher.

"When did he get here?" Gola asked. Ed jumped up.

"Rock Shatter!" Quickly he threw a fist into Nero's stomach and sent him flying backwards, where he slid down the hall on his back.

"Little... Brick Throw!" Gola shouted, chucking a red brick at Ed and nailing him in the side of the face. Ed dropped the stone and hit the ground. The small girl dove for it. Randy attempted to spray her down with the fire extinguisher, but Gola rushed in and punched him in the stomach, clawing into him and beginning to brutally scratch him.

"WAVE!" Rejected. Double Dee had arrived with Marudo at his side, casting a wave that carried the Evil Guardians away from the stone and Randy's mangled body. Edd rushed in and slid towards the stone, picking it up. Nero swiftly jumped up and kicked him across the face, reaching for the stone.

"Rock Shatter!" Ed punched Nero out of the way, throwing him back and into the glass of the doorway, smashing right through. Outside, the children climbing off the school bus screamed as bits of glass flew towards them. Nero rolled over and rushed back into the fight, getting a good punch on Ed. Ed swung back, but Nero ducked under. At the same time, Gola punched Ed in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Boiling Water!" Double Dee shouted, hurling a stream of steaming liquid at Nero's face. He screamed, and reached into his pocket. Out came a switchblade like the one Gola had previously used. Jonny, the easiest target, was taken hostage.

"You want your friend to die? Back off!" Nero shouted. Gola picked up the Electric Elemental Stone and grinned. Double Dee stepped back and hung his head.

"And you!" Nero yelled, pointing at Randy. "Hand over the fire extinguisher. You spray it, I'll chop your arm off." Randy obliged and set the extinguisher at his feet, backing away to the wall. Things got quiet. Ed was on the ground, still as a mouse. Double Dee, Randy, and Marudo were standing still. Jonny was scared for his life, sweating profusely.

"Ah, what the hell?" Nero taunted. "Let's kill him anyway!" He quickly raised the knife and went straight for the neck.

"Nope." Nero felt himself being ripped off of Jonny and slammed against the wall.

"Big Bolt!" shouted his assailant, filling him with a few volts of electricity.

"Eddy! The stone!" Double Dee shouted, pointing for Gola. Eddy turned, saw Gola, and grinned.

"Electricity!" Eddy charged at Gola and viciously...

* * *

"Gave him a hug!" Randy recalled in the present. "He just gave the guy a hug!"

"A hug?"

"Yeah! He electrocuted him!"

"I see."

* * *

"I believe that's mine," Eddy said, taking the Electric Elemental Stone from Gola's hand. Gola was burnt to a crisp. He collapsed to the ground and did not move. Eddy walked over to Nero and grinned.

"Hi," he said simply. Nero's brow furrowed.

"Hi," he replied.

"Wanna do us all a favor and GET OUT OF THIS SCHOOL?" Eddy shouted, pointing his fingers at waist height towards his counterpart.

"Lightning Shot," he said. Two small balls of electricity burst from his fingertips and made contact with Nero's skin. Nero took a nasty shock, but shook it off and pushed Eddy away. Seeing no other option, he ran out the door and disappeared from sight. Eddy turned around and noticed the other two Evil Guardians had slipped away, also.

"You did it, Eddy!" said Jonny. He ran to Eddy and hugged him. "Thanks for saving me, pal!"

"Yeah," Eddy replied. "You're... you're welcome, Jonny." Eddy felt a warmth in his heart. He couldn't help but smile.

"Nice job," Randy said. Once Jonny released Eddy, Randy picked up the fire extinguisher and shook Eddy's hand.

"Who are you?" Eddy asked.

"Randy Stephens," he said. "I'm a big fan of yours."

"I'm a big fan of yours," Double Dee heard someone repeat. He turned and saw Mitsumi smiling at him. Slowly she moved forward and grew about four inches, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him the most pleasant kiss he had ever experienced.

"Guys," Eddy said. He helped Ed up off the ground. "Wanna go get some chow mein? I'm starving."

"I'm in," Randy said.

"Sure, invite yourself," Eddy said.

"Chow mein sounds nice," Double Dee approved.

* * *

"Wait, so... what about this _death_ you mentioned?" Hanton asked.

"Oh," Randy said. "Well, at the Chinese place, that sockhead guy told me that a million skin cells on your body die every day!" Hanton threw his papers down on his desk and walked out of the room.

"Can I stay here?" Randy wondered. He looked at Hanton's comfy chair and nodded to himself. "I think so."

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: The Evil Guardians have been quiet lately. As the Guardians try to settle down and finish the semester without any intervention from their enemies, Double Dee wants to be the one who paints the empty hallway's new mural.

A/N: Do you like the story? How should I improve? Let me know in a review! Also, see your dentist every now and then. And, delete your browsing history.


	11. The Other Side of the Canvas

Hanton helped the Guardians explain the events of the battle to Anderson. Though he was upset about the damages, he tried to keep things hushed up as crews of men quickly rebuilt the building in the affected areas. Within a couple of weeks, all was as normal.

This brought up opportunities to improve the school. Lights were replaced, repairs were made, and objects were replaced. One opportunity arose from the empty hallway near the dorms. Anderson decided the hallway needed improvement, and invited students to apply to paint a mural on the wall.

Double Dee wanted to paint that mural.

#11 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CANVAS

"I can't believe they wouldn't let us start our comics club!" confessed Ed.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" queried Jonny.

"What should we do now?" Ed pondered.

"Football?" Jonny suggested. "I was good at that back in Peach Creek."

"Yeah! Football!" Ed cheered.

* * *

"I am sorry, Edd, but there is already someone painting the mural," Anderson confessed. "He came to me about it hours ago."

"Perhaps I can work with him then? Anything?" Double Dee begged. Anderson shook his head.

"Terribly sorry," he replied. "But he prefers to work alone. I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, sir..." Double Dee answered, obvious upset in his voice.

* * *

"New guys, huh?" examined Blaire Jackson, Egmar University's best football player. Ed and Jonny were in the center of the field with Blaire and several other unnamed football players. It was the second football practice of the year.

"Yup," Ed said.

"What positions have you covered?" Blaire wondered. He was skeptical.

"First base," Ed replied.

"What?"

"First base," Ed replied. "Don't you know your positions?" Blaire rolled his eyes.

"What about you, big head?" he asked Jonny.

"I was a receiver!" Jonny replied.

"Are you really sure?" Blaire questioned.

"Yeah!"

"Alright, let's see what you've got," Blaire said. "Andrew! Throw it to big head!" A massive, tan, imposing figure on the 10 yard line was handed the football. He reared back and threw a mighty toss straight for Jonny. It was quite accurate. So accurate, in fact, that Jonny was hit directly in the face and thrown back five feet.

"Oh Plank I see your gerbils got out," he mumbled, senses lesser than the usual.

"Yeah, um," Blaire began. "I don't think you guys have what it takes to be on this team."

* * *

"Who dares paint the mural I should have been granted the fortune of creating?" Double Dee cursed to himself as he stormed back to his room. Rounding the corner, he came to the site of the mural. As he did so, he stepped on a paint roller and lost his balance, falling back and kicking a bucket of paint. He noticed the painter was at work as he fell.

"So sorry!" Double Dee began to apologize as soon as he hit the ground. Sitting up, he saw a strange sight. The painter was a large humanoid, roughly twice Double Dee's own width and about seven or eight feet tall. He had a rough, troll-like face and a paintbrush for a left hand. It seemed like it'd be aggressive, though it merely ignored Double Dee and continued to paint.

"What in the..." Double Dee muttered. At this point, The Painter (as dubbed by Double Dee) leaned over to pick up some paint. Rage filled the creature when it noticed that Double Dee's spill had sent paint into another two buckets, tainting them both. It roared at Double Dee, whose eyes widened. He rolled to his feet, and The Painter charged towards him. Double Dee dodged a punch from the hand, but he found himself being touched with the brush. His muscles began to relax, but his mind raced as light began to surround him.

"What are you doing?!" Double Dee shouted, before disappearing into the brush. The Painter smiled and walked back to the mural. Touching the brush to the mural, Double Dee appeared on the wall.

Double Dee was trapped inside the mural.

* * *

Jonny and Ed walked back from their practice, upset about their imminent removal from the team.

"Aw, I thought we'd be on for sure!" Jonny said.

"Hey! Check out the painting!" Ed invited, pointing to the mural. The two looked at it, not realizing what was painting it.

"Wow! It looks just like Double Dee!" Jonny exclaimed. The Painter looked over to them and smiled. It touched Ed's chest with the paintbrush hand.

"Pretty lights!" Ed examined, as he was surrounded by the same light Double Dee had experienced. In seconds, he disappeared.

"Ed?!" Jonny shouted. The Painter touched the mural, adding a picture of Ed to the artwork. Then, it turned to Jonny. Jonny had enough sense at that instance to turn the other way and run. The Painter was surprisingly fast, as it chased after Jonny and managed to keep up with him fairly well.

"Jacob?!" Jonny cried. "Eddy?! Anyone?!" He rounded the corner towards the dorm rooms. There was a student at the end of the hallway.

"Help!" Jonny shouted. The student turned to Jonny just as The Painter absorbed him into the brush. Panicked, the student pounded on the door of the room he was standing before. As the door opened, the student rushed in and slammed the door.

"What's up, Jack?" Eddy asked as Jack Carpenter rushed into his room.

"Th-th-there's something w-weird in the hallway," Jack stuttered, scared for his life. "I s-saw that stuff you did with the l-lightning." Eddy understood the problem immediately.

"Electric Power!" he cried, transforming into his Guardian form. He opened the door and peeked out. Nothing. Eddy let his guard down and opened the door all the way. As he stepped outside, the ceiling crashed down above him. Quickly, Eddy rolled out of the way.

"Big Bolt!" Eddy shouted, hurling electricity at whatever it was. The Painter was electrocuted, but he shook it off and rushed at Eddy. Eddy dodged a punch and a brush stroke. Swiftly, Eddy delivered an uppercut to the creature and knocked it backwards.

"Don't let the brush touch you!" Jack yelled from the doorway. Eddy's eyes widened as the brush came for him. He ducked under it and grabbed The Painter's arm, turning it against him and poking him in the face with it. A burst of light shot out from the brush, throwing him backwards. He took the wall with him as he slammed into the dusty ground.

"Had enough yet?" Eddy asked. Obviously not. The Painter stood to its feet and rushed at Eddy again.

"Big Bolt!" Eddy shouted, hurling a ball of lightning at The Painter. This gave Eddy an opening to rush in and punch it in the face again. Quickly he grabbed the arm and pointed it up, struggling as the creature fought to keep it away from his face. Thinking fast, Eddy kneed it in the stomach, winning the power struggle. The brush touched its face and shot out light again. Eddy fought to keep it there, and The Painter struggled to remove it. The light became more and more intense, until it exploded and threw The Painter back into the wall it had crushed before. This time, The Painter had enough. It stumbled out of the rubble before collapsing to the ground and turning to dust. Double Dee, Ed, and Jonny materialized around the creature.

"Eddy?" Ed asked, looking to his friend.

"I got it," Eddy said, halfway holding up a victory fist.

"What is this?" Double Dee questioned, kneeling over the dusty remains of The Painter. He picked up a small light blue crystal from the top of the pile.

"Can I touch it?" Ed asked.

"I'd rather you not," Double Dee said. "This is a fascinating object. Perhaps it is the very life of this biological nonexistence?"

"Did anyone understand that?" Eddy asked.

"I must contact the professor to ask his assistance!" Double Dee decided.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: Double Dee begins to doubt his role as a Guardian. Can the professor shed some light on The Painter's origin?

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I've been very busy, being gone from early in the morning to late at night for the past few days. Also, school starts back tomorrow. Wheeeeee! Anyway, starting with the next chapter, Double Dee will get quite a bit of character development compared to what he's received thus far.

Oh, and thanks to Yoshermon for the helpful review!


	12. Answers

_Brace yourself! This chapter features lots of explanation on the origins of the Guardians. Try to follow along. If for any reason at all, you need further explanation, leave a review or a private message and I will help you out. Thanks, and enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

"I will hold a video call with you and your friends tomorrow during your spare time," the professor told Double Dee. "I expect we can figure out what this crystal does."

#12 ANSWERS

Mitsumi stretched her arms and looked over to Double Dee. He slept on, as he had called his friend the previous night to schedule a video conference. She would be joining the group, along with Jack Carpenter and the guy with the fire extinguisher. She yawned and proceeded to the bathroom, where she began to freshen up. It would be an enlightening day.

* * *

Jacob kicked the punching bag, again and again. Each kick was more intense than the last. It spiraled around from the force of the kicks. Again, again, again. The punching bag was becoming dangerous. Jacob silently reared back and elbowed the punching back to the left before spinning around and kicking the punching bag off its hook.

"You've grown stronger," said a voice. Jacob looked up.

"Thank you, Superior," he replied, bowing.

"I believe you could just be the strongest of all our forces," the Superior said, cloaked in the shadows of the corner of the room.

"Maybe, aside from you," Jacob said. The Superior chuckled.

"You flatter me, young Jacob," the Superior replied. "How much training have you done with your power, though?"

"None at all," Jacob replied.

"None?"

"If I'm physically strong, and my power is ten times that of my strength, then I should become strong physically so it improves my power," Jacob insisted.

"And _that_, young Jacob, is exactly right. I hold the highest of expectations."

* * *

"Yo, Professor! Are you ready yet?" Eddy asked, as the conference room Hanton gave the group permission to use filled with all the Guardians. The screen on the wall showed Professor Stanley, in his lab in the attic.

"One minute, Eddy, I'm waiting for my tea!" the professor replied.

"Can't it wait?" wondered Eddy.

"Now this will be a lengthy talk, and I'm not starting without my tea," Stanley said. "STEVE! STEEEEEEEEEEEEVE!"

"Who's Steve?" asked Marudo.

"Steve is my new assistant," replied the professor.

"Assistant? What do you need an assistant for?" Marudo bugged.

"Do you know how hard this kind of stuff gets at my age?" Professor Stanley puzzled.

"And just how old are you, professor?" Marudo questioned.

Professor Stanley chuckled and said, "Well anyway, let's get started!"

"What about your tea?" Eddy wondered.

"Did I ask for tea?"

"Yeah," Eddy reminded. "You asked Steve for tea!"

"Steve? Who's that?"

"Your new assistant!" Eddy yelled.

"My dear boy, I don't need an assistant. I'm Professor Stanley," boasted the professor.

"Right..." mumbled Eddy.

"So, you wondered about the crystal," Stanley said.

"Yes sir, I did," Double Dee piped.

"Well, hold it up! Let me see! Closer! Closer! Closer, boy! I'm old!"

"How old?" Eddy asked.

"Hmm, that is a strange crystal," Stanley said. "It looks to me like fossilized Guardian energy."

"Guardian energy?" Double Dee asked.

"Yes, looks like it," the professor hypothesized. "Now, you need some background information."

"It's about time we heard some background information," Marudo smirked.

"The Guardians of Light, five thousand years ago, give or take a few, were some beings of unknown origins. Like you, they controlled certain elements. Unfortunately, there were, even in those times, Guardians of Evil. And they almost won."

"What?" Eddy was shocked. "No way! These chumps haven't beat us yet!"

"Don't underestimate them," Stanley suggested. "They grow stronger as you do."

"What?" Double Dee squeaked.

"Yes," Stanley replied. "The more Guardians awaken, the more powerful the entirety becomes. There are three of you now. You have fifteen more powers to awaken."

"So what about the Elemental Stones?" Double Dee asked. "Eddy's abilities have multiplied remarkably since he came into possession of his respective stone."

"The Elemental Stones are a bit of a mystery still. They empower the holder should they share the same element. Finding all of them is essential. If the Evil Guardians possess them, they will be just short of unbeatable. You need to unite them all and bring them to the Tower of the Guardians."

"Tower of the Guardians?" Double Dee questioned.

"Yes, it's a big tower. Unfortunately, no one knows where it is."

"Then how are we supposed to find this tower?" Eddy asked.

"Beats me! Anyway, you bring them to the tower, and at the top, you can draw the power of the original Guardians of Light and seal away the evils you face."

"You keep mentioning these original Guardians," Eddy pointed out. "Why didn't they just finish this stuff themselves?"

"They had to give up."

"What?"

"The Evil Guardians were just too strong. They had collected sixteen of the Elemental Stones, though they could not find the Ghost Elemental Stone. It was a pain to find, really. For one thing, you can't pick it up! It's ghostly! Ooh!"

"Then how are we supposed to get it?" Eddy asked.

"Who knows?! I'll try to come up with something later. ANYWAY! Back to the subject of the crystal. That energy is remains of certain attacks. For example, if Ed creates a rock in the present, thousands of years after he's dead, that rock will turn into one of the crystals. From what I've gathered, they contain quite a bit of power. They can maintain artificially made lifeforms, such as that one you faced just yesterday. I'm led to believe the crystals get along quite well."

"Get along?" Double Dee asked.

"Yes. Whenever two of them get close to each other, they will attempt to move towards each other. The more gathered, the stronger the pull gets. This is because the original Guardians were connected in a sense. They were all descendants of a shared ancestor, whose power is a mystery to me. It must have been a strong one, to give off all that power. But I digress. The Guardians were very close to one another, so close that they created some source of power inside a tall tower."

"This tower you want us to find?" Double Dee asked.

"That's the one! The tower was the home of their power source, and their connection. When the Guardians chose to Rest and reincarnate themselves, the power source no longer had a host, and it broke. The remains of the power source, I like to call it The Heart, filled the air. Every little remain the Guardians left behind, every pebble, every feather, was located by The Heart. It began this process of turning the items to crystals. And, today, it still lingers in the air, fossilizing everything your powers create. These crystals can be dangerous, though."

"Yeah, I know," Eddy said. "Where'd that thing come from?"

"Someone made it," Stanley replied. "I have no idea who. Probably the Evil Guardians, I don't know for sure. There are people with knowledge of the crystals who search for them in hopes of creating their own creations. Whether or not they have good intentions makes no difference, as the creatures always go bad."

"Why?" Mitsumi asked.

"Well, because the creators aren't there anymore. They really don't like the new Guardians of Light. They want the originals. While you are the Guardians because you possess the traits like those which the originals had, you are not the same people. When they find out the originals are nowhere to be found, something in the crystals make them go mad. They want to kill you."

"So what do we do?" Mitsumi wondered.

"Defeat them if they bother you," Stanley suggested. "They aren't nearly as strong as the Guardians."

"Got that right!" Eddy said. The professor looked down at his watch and glanced around his room.

"Hm, was there anything else I needed to cover?" he asked. "Steve! STEEEEEEEEVE! IS THAT IT?! STEVE!"

"There is no 'Steve', Professor," Marudo said.

"Is too! Steve is my assistant!" Professor Stanley insisted. "Steve? Answer, Steve! This is getting old!"

"You are too!" Eddy said.

"I am not! Do you have any idea how young I am?" he retorted, running his fingers through his graying hair.

"No, I don't," Eddy replied. "How old?" Professor Stanley coughed.

"Right, that's everything," he said. "You can go. I must speak to Double Dee." Mitsumi glanced at Edd.

"I'll be done soon," he assured her. She nodded with a gentle smile and followed the others out of the room.

"Marudo, I meant for you to leave, too," the professor said. Marudo grumbled and hovered out the door. Jack, waiting at the door, shut it behind the Defender.

"So, Edd, what's been troubling you?" the professor asked.

"I'd like to know if there is a way for a Guardian to give away their powers to another," Double Dee said.

"No, I'm afraid not," the professor answered. "Why would you want to know that?" Double Dee hung his head slightly and bit his lip before responding.

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for this," he answered.

"Oh, nonsense! Why would you think that?"

"Well, that guy with the fire extinguisher had to save me from Nero, and when we fought over the stone Eddy and Ed did everything. Also, that creature from yesterday bested me before anyone else."

"That was then, Edd," the professor said. "You are definitely meant for this. Nobody in the world is more like the original Water Guardian than you. That's why you were picked. The second you were born, the spirit of the Water Guardian that was lingering remembered the first Guardian's traits, and then knew it was meant to be at your control."

"What was the Water Guardian like?" Double Dee wondered.

"Water was the wisest of all existing beings at that time, maybe all time. And let's be fair, you're brilliant, Edd. Of course, Water is not the most powerful element, I understand. Water made it work, though. Water worked hard enough to be one of three Guardians of Light strong enough to hold their own against their counterparts despite the impressive disadvantage."

"And you believe I can live up to that?"

"Remember what I said about Water being wise? Well, Water chose you. I feel that if any Guardian knew what they were doing, it was him. You can do this. If you'd like, I could bring you my journal of the information I have gathered on Water. I'll be in Egmar to attend your graduation, and I hear you're quite the reader."

Double Dee smiled. "I would love that!"

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... The Evil Guardians have needs just like other people. It's a shopping day!

A/N: Well, we made it through that! I'm sure it might have bored you at points, but the backstory is very necessary to cover. Double Dee also got some necessary character development. The next chapter should be much more fun to read; it's a change of pace!


	13. Evil Groceries

"Deanna!" shouted Nero as he stared into the empty refrigerator in the dimly lit kitchen with odd decorations (including a skull hanging from a nail and a poster of N-Sync on the side of the microwave.

"Deanna!" he repeated, when he received no answer.

"What?" a female's voice shouted back to him.

"Where's all of the food?!" Nero asked.

"You, Gola, and Neil ate it all!" she retorted.

"Well we need more food!" Nero insisted. "I'm hungry!"

"Then go get some!"

"I don't have any money!" Nero could hear Deanna groan as she stormed down the stairs in the hall.

"GOLA! NEIL! PUT THE CONTROLLERS DOWN!" the small blonde girl shouted. "WE'RE GOING GROCERY SHOPPING!"

#13 EVIL GROCERIES

"_If you're lost and alone, or you're sinking like a stone, carry o-o-o-o-onnn," _sang Nero as he swaggered along. It was actually quite an angelic sound.

"Please stay with us, Nero," said Neil, suspiciously strolling along beside the other three as they entered the grocery store. Gola pulled out a shopping cart and proceeded through the sliding door. To the immediate right, they moved towards fruits.

"What kinds of fruits do we need?" Deanna asked.

"Isn't Nero enough?" Gola joked, chuckling. Nero elbowed him.

"Pears," Nero said.

"I hate pears," mumbled Neil.

"Good, don't eat them," Nero replied.

"Bananas," Gola said.

"Yeah, so you can practice your deep throating," jested Nero. Gola returned the earlier elbow.

"Yeah, yeah," Deanna muttered, throwing bananas and pears into the cart. She reached for some strawberries in the back and put them in the cart. They progressed down the aisle.

"_Light a Roman candle with me. Just a Roman candle, you can wear your sandals, and I'll pour you just one cup of tea."  
_

"Nero, focus," Deanna hissed.

"Sorry." Deanna shook her head and looked to the sweets to the left.

"Yeah, throw in some Oreos," Gola began. "And some chocolate chip cookies. The chewy kind, I like that. Uh, get some Pop-Tarts, Gushers, and a partridge in a pear tree."

"Partridge in a pear tree?" Nero asked. "Where do you see that?"

"It was a joke," Gola sighed. Nero shook his head and began to grab all the items Gola mentioned.

"Get some cinnamon buns," Neil said.

"Nobody likes cinnamon buns! That stuff like makes you throw up!" Nero said.

"I like cinnamon buns..."

"No one cares, Neil!"

"Just get the cinnamon buns, Nero!" growled Deanna, putting her head to her forehead. She made a mental note to look for a bottle of Tylenol on the other side of the store.

* * *

"Hello, Eddy," said Double Dee as he entered his friend's room.

"Hey Double Dee!" Eddy said excitedly, sitting up on his bed in an instant.

"You seem happy," Double Dee noted. "And a little... out-of-character."

"We've been out-of-character for the first twelve chapters anyway," Eddy remarked. The fourth wall collapsed beneath its own weight.

"You have a point..." the sockhead pointed out.

"So what do you want?" Eddy asked.

"I was wondering if you had any fabric softener," Double Dee requested. "It would seem I have run out."

"You seriously came here just to ask for that?" Eddy asked. "Why does anyone need to know that?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps the author just wanted us to make an appearance this chapter?"

"Wow, someone's trying too hard to fit at least a thousand words into this chapter. Go bother the Evil Guardians," Eddy said. "I'm on my break."

* * *

"Excuse me," said a young girl, probably four or five years old. She waddled over to Gola. "Can you help me find my mommy?"

"Go away," Gola said.

"I need my mommy!" she cried.

"I don't care!" Gola replied. "My mommy moved to Vancouver and married a gang leader and you don't hear me crying about it!" The little girl sobbed uncontrollably and ran away.

"Wow, you're a dick," Nero said.

"You are," Gola cleverly remarked.

"Oh yeah, good one," Nero said. Deanna was throwing lunch meat into the cart, and Neil was standing around reading a new manga.

"Hey Neil, this might be done sooner if you stop reading your comic and help us," Gola rudely suggested. He could feel Neil's gaze peering into his soul.

"It's a _manga_," corrected the mysterious one. "There is a difference."

"Oh sorry," Gola said. "Put your monka d-"

"Manga."

"-Manga down and help!"

"Why don't you help? Neither of you are doing anything," Neil pointed out. "Deanna is doing everything."

"I am acknowledged," she sarcastically celebrated as a pack of turkey hit the bottom of the cart.

"Fine, fine," Nero said. "What do you want me to do, Deanna?"

"Go pick out some drinks," she said. "I hate that part of the store."

"Fine. Gola, come with me."

"No."

"Okay. No Diet Coke for you." Nero began to make his way to the back corner. Gola tried to remain still, but he could not pass on the Diet Coke and took off for the back corner.

"Get me some Vitamin Water!" she shouted after him.

"Who likes Diet Coke?" Neil asked seconds later.

"His mother abandoned him, remember? He was poorly raised," Deanna noted.

* * *

At the back corner of the store, Nero and Gola arrived and found the twelve-packs of various soft drinks brandishing the shelves.

"Alright, lessee..." Nero began. "Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper... Hmm, NuGrape... And... ahm... Crush."

"Diet Coke, Tab... yeah..." Gola picked out his drinks.

"Your drinks suck," Nero taunted, scurrying back to the shopping cart.

"No you!"

* * *

"We're back!" said Nero, arriving at the cart with the drinks. He placed his at the bottom of the cart.

"All done!" Gola added, putting his drinks in with the rest.

"Where's the Vitamin Water?" Deanna asked.

"What Vitamin Water?" Gola dimly replied.

Deanna flipped the cart over and left.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter: Graduation rolls around! The professor comes to attend, and the Evil Guardians are prepared to ruin everything! Can the Guardians make it out of this one? It's a tale of betrayal, discovery, and destruction!

A/N: The primary role of this chapter was to introduce the readers to Neil and Deanna, and go more in-depth on the personalities of the Evil Guardians. I felt this was a good way to introduce them, by deviating from the norm. Next chapter brings in some good stuff. There won't be much filler any time soon.


	14. Planning, Punching, and Perusing

I'm back!

* * *

Graduation was fast approaching, and the Guardians of Light were spending the majority of their time preparing for the occasion, preparing their finest clothes and making plans.

#14 PLANNING, PUNCHING, AND PERUSING

Double Dee answered the knocking on his door to find Jonny 2x4 standing before him with a plain expression.

"Greetings, Jonny," Double Dee welcomed.

"Double Dee, have you seen Jacob?" asked Jonny.

"I haven't," Double Dee answered. "When did you lose him?"

"Yesterday," Jonny replied. "He didn't come back to the room." This was slightly concerning.

"I hope he's okay," the genius replied with genuine well-wishes. Just then, he believed he had found an explanation. "Oh! I know! He may be on a photography trip! I believe I saw a flier advertising it!"

"Oh, yeah! That's gotta be it!" Jonny exclaimed. "Kinda weird he didn't mention it though. Thanks Double Dee!"

* * *

"Man, I can't believe we're about to graduate!" Jack noted, rebounding the rubber red ball of the wall of the hallway he sat in.

"Yeah, I know! I don't even remember going to a single class," Eddy replied.

"I think the author cut them out since they would have been boring to read about," Jack examined. The sound of the ball bouncing off the fourth wall became more and more evident.

"So what are you doing after you graduate?" Eddy asked him.

"Might do a little sight-seeing," he replied. "I might take a trip to Martentia. Sounds like fun."

"You and your parents?"

"Nah, just me," replied Jack. "I don't really see eye to eye with them."

"I know what you mean," replied Eddy. "You know, you could come with us. I mean, it'd be dangerous, but... We wouldn't mind having you around."

Jack withheld the sphere and looked over. He responded with a disbelieving, "Really?"

Eddy replied, "Yeah. Sockhead's probably going to bring that Mitsumi girl along. Ed has Jonny to talk to. Marudo is just a tour guide. I don't have anyone to talk to."

"I'm not sure I'd have too much to contribute," Jack assessed.

"Neither does Jonny, but Marudo is making us bring him," Eddy pointed out.

* * *

"ROCK POWER!" shouted Ed, donning his Guardian uniform. Marudo hovered above him. The two were in a construction site near the university, filled with boulders and machines alike.

"Alright, Ed," Marudo instructed, "You're gonna break this big rock. What do you do?"

"I know this!" Ed cheered. Inhaling deeply, Ed chose the worst of choices. He punched the rock, cracking his knuckles and doing little to accomplish his goal. The idiot shook out his hand to the sound of Marudo's sighs.

"Okay, Ed, let's try again," Marudo suggested. "What do you do to _shatter _a _rock_?"

"Rock Shatter?" Ed's face snapped into a serious but vacant stare as his fist erupted into light and plowed through the boulder with gargantuan force.

Marudo cheered, "That's it, Ed! Okay, okay! Now, I want you to create a boulder and throw it."

"How do I do that?" Ed questioned.

"You've done it before," Marudo reminded. "Try to remember."

"Petra proficisceris!" Ed shouted. Nothing happened.

"Was that Latin?" Marudo asked him.

"I saw it in a movie once," Ed responded in defeat.

"Boulder Toss!" Marudo pushed.

"Boulder Toss!" Ed mimicked. A large boulder materialized in front of him, and he whirred around and threw it with the same blank expression he used before.

"Alright, now we just have to work on remembering these," Marudo told him. "Let me see your arm." Ed rolled up his sleeve. Marudo gripped his arm.

"Wow, your arm is tough," Marudo noticed.

"Yeah, I know!" Ed told him. "I noticed it when I became a superhero!" Marudo looked at him.

"Really?" asked Marudo.

"Yep!"

"Ed, I think your bones may be made out of rock now," confessed the Defender.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Marudo pulled out a permanent marker and began to write the names of Ed's abilities on his arm.

"And there you go," replied Marudo. "All three of your abilities in one convenient place."

"Wow!" Ed gasped. "I'm going to be the best superhero that ever lived!"

* * *

Randy took his popsicle from the friendly man in the ice cream truck and walked over to a picnic table where he could enjoy it. He took a seat and began to suck on the cool tip of the fruity treat, taking in the scenery around him. To his right, a park full of kids running and playing and having fun. To his left, by contrast, a small group of four arguing.

"You can't be serious!" shouted a girl in a black hoodie. "After all that time with a Guardian, you can't get one confession?!" Did she say Guardian?

"He's clever, okay?" replied a guy in a black hoodie. Randy finally realized they were all wearing black hoodies.

"Please, clever doesn't cut it!" said another male in the group, this one a bit stronger looking. "You're the boss's favorite, but that won't get you off the hook with us."

"Guys, can we take this inside?" asked the final man in the group, this one walking over and opening a nearby door to a seemingly abandoned warehouse. Randy finished off his popsicle and sat through a troubling brain freeze before hen noticed that the group had entered the building. Tossing his trash onto the ground, the litterbug decided it would benefit his cause to enter the building behind. He made a beeline for the door and went inside, finding himself behind a large pillar with crates around. The intruder ducked behind.

"I'm just saying, I don't want to wait until later to find out what the kid does!" shouted the one who had suggested going inside. "I want to know what I'm up against!" Randy believed this to be the lightning wielder.

"Yeah, and what about that girl and the guy with the fire extinguisher?" asked the female of the group.

"I don't think they are Guardians of Light," replied the electricity user. "If you had to choose between a fire extinguisher and using superpowers, what would you pick?" Randy heard a sound like a soda can opening.

"Point is, we need to take the bald kid out of the picture before he has a chance to contribute," said the biggest of the group. Randy peeked out from behind the boxes.

"Graduation will be such fun," cheered the lightning wielder. Randy ducked back behind the boxes. He would have to tell the others. With haste, he dashed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" A hand reached out and grabbed Randy's shoulder, pulling him back and turning him around. It was a tall, imposing man in a black robe that shadowed his face.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... The Guardians of Evil take another shot at defeating the Guardians of Light. A betrayal is revealed, and a new Guardian of Light is revealed. It's graduation!

A/N: This chapter was a little painful to right. Basically, the stage is being set for the conclusion of the Egmar University story arc.


	15. The Graduation

A/N: This is the epic conclusion to the Egmar University story arc.

* * *

"Hello, Stan," greeted Hanton. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all," welcomed the professor, motioning to his brother to sit beside him. The crowd was piling into the auditorium, as Egmar University's annual graduation was starting very soon.

"What's that?" asked the counselor, pointing to the book in his brother's hand. Professor Stanley held it up.

"My notes on the Water Guardian," Stanley replied. "Edd wanted to read them."

#15 THE GRADUATION

"Excuse me," said a tall woman in a dressy outfit she probably wore to work a few times.

"Yes?" asked the professor.

"Is anyone sitting here?" she asked, motioning to the seat on his left.

"Oh, yes, my assistant is sitting there," replied the professor. "Sorry." The woman nodded and left to find another seat.

"Assistant? I didn't know you had an assistant," Hanton noted.

The professor replied, "Oh, yes. Steve should be here any moment."

"He might want to hurry," said Hanton. "It looks like they will start any moment." As if he was directing the graduation ceremony, the conductor of the orchestra began to direct Pomp and Circumstance. The crowd stood as the graduates walked in, sporting blue caps and gowns. Among the earlier marchers was Ed, who towered over the majority of the students. His smile lit up the room.

"Why isn't Jonny in front?" asked Stanley.

"They're sorted in alphabetical order by last names," replied Hanton.

"Isn't his last name 2x4?" wondered Stanley.

"No, it's-" _CRASH! _The chandelier above the auditorium came loose and slammed into the ground, causing the majority of the arena to scream. On top of the wreckage, stood a boy in a black hood.

"GUARDIANS OF LIGHT!" he shouted. The room got quiet, the band was cut off, and the screaming died out. "SHOW YOURSELVES TO THE CROWD! 'CAUSE IF YOU DON'T-!" He began to channel huge surges of electricity from his hands.

"EVERYONE IS GONNA SUFFER!" shouted an additional Guardian of Evil, who appeared on the stage from above. It was obviously Gola based on his size.

"Oh dear," mumbled Hanton. Screams began to overtake the auditorium, as several onlookers attempted to flee. Just then, every door was barred by another black hoodie.

"WELL? WHAT'S IT GOING TO BE, GUARDIANS?!" Nero shouted from atop the chandelier. "I'D HATE TO SEE YOUR LITTLE VOLUNTEER FIREMAN SUFFER!" He motioned to the stage, where Randy was standing with Gola, knife at the throat.

"ELECTRIC POWER!" came a cry. It was Eddy, appearing from the graduates. "Big Bolt!" The guardian chucked a huge ball of lightning at Nero. His target jumped aside, as the sphere hit with a massive explosion. The battle had begun.

* * *

Double Dee now saw it as his job to help Randy. While Eddy had engaged his powers to assault Nero, the Water Guardian stealthily ducked down and made his way towards the back of the line. Looking towards the door, he noticed Deanna's barricade.

"_I need to get out that door," _thought Double Dee. He searched around, hoping to find some way through.

"Psst, Double Dee," came a whisper. The wise Ed boy turned around to see Mitsumi sneaking over to him.

"Mitsumi?" he said in astonishment. "Please don't get involved."

"At least let me help you," she whispered. "What are you going to do?"

"Fine, fine," Double Dee replied. "I want to go around the building and get on the stage to help Randy. The problem is, that Guardian is blocking the door."

"You can't just fight her off?" Mitsumi asked.

"I don't want to attract that much attention if I can help it," he replied.

"I don't think there is any other way," she assured. "Not unless you have some sleeping gas or something."

"Double Dee," came an additional whisper. The two looked over and saw Jack moving towards them. "Did I hear something about knocking someone out?"

"I don't suppose you have any sleeping gas to knock out that Guardian over there?" asked Mitsumi, motioning to Deanna.

"No, but I can definitely take her out," replied Jack with a nod.

"How quietly?" asked Double Dee.

"Cover her mouth before she screams, and completely silently," Jack boasted.

"Remind me to never follow you into a dark alley," Mitsumi acknowledged.

"Any idea on how to make her look away?" asked Jack.

"We need a distraction," said Mitsumi.

"What kind of distraction?" asked Double Dee.

"Someone should run around the hall and make some noise," suggested Jack.

"Alright, I'm going in," Mitsumi said.

"No! Not you!" Double Dee protested. "Someone else!"

"Alright, fine," she said. "Jonny!" She called Jonny over.

"Hiya Mitsumi," he greeted.

"Listen," Jack said, grabbing his shoulder. "I need you, my friend, to run down that hall and scream as loud and obnoxiously as possible."

"What for?" asked Jonny.

"Just trust me on this one," Jack said. "It's for a good cause."

"Well... Alright..." Jonny agreed after a brief hesitation. With a breath, he took off running past the orchestra and around the corner, where he began to scream and yell while charging through the hallway. Jack, Mitsumi, and Double Dee all proceeded to sneak up behind Deanna as she began to look out the door to the hallway. Jack looked over to Double Dee and nodded. Quickly, Double Dee lunged forward and covered her mouth, attempting to subdue her. Jack dashed up behind and applied firm pressure to her cartoid artery with his hand. Obviously experienced in the matter, Jack managed to knock her unconscious before she emitted even a shout.

"Alright, it's your show now," Jack told Double Dee. "I'll go help Jonny, he's probably in some shit now."

"Thanks," Double Dee replied. He threw open the door, and dashed out with Mitsumi. The two immediately made for the nearest door to the outside.

* * *

"Storm Craft!" Nero roared, conjuring up a cloud at the ceiling that began to pulsate with electricity. Eddy stared off at it, prepared to figure out a way to avoid the upcoming bolt of lightning. Just then, a crashing sound, and the lightning spiraled out in a magnificent beam.

"Surge Protector!" Eddy shouted. He cupped his hands together and spread his fingers before pulling his arms apart and creating a barrier of lightning. As Nero's attack neared, Eddy's attack began to soak up the zap. It grew and grew in Eddy's hands, becoming an uncontrollable barrage of flickering lightning bolts.

"Lightning Strike!" called Eddy, throwing his arms forward and dispelling the voltage in one hyperactive beam of galvanized hell. Nero took the blast directly, though it was significantly less effective than originally expected. Eddy's opponent began to soak it up through his own blood, causing his body to light up in a spectacular fashion that showed off every little capillary in a brilliant neon blue.

"Death Current!" Nero retorted, throwing forward his right arm in a quick hook, sending out an orb of electricity. The orb connected with Eddy, and just then began to expel energy that Nero began to channel. It seemed that he was draining Eddy of his power.

"Aaaah- Lightning Shot!" Eddy cried, throwing his arm forward and sending out a rather pathetic sphere of lightning. It hit Nero just barely enough to make him flinch, stopping his drain.

"Rock Shatter!" came a shout, and Ed came slamming into Nero with a mighty blow to the jaw. Nero fell to the floor, struggling to exist, let alone get up.

"Chinook!" A huge gust of wind erupted through the floor, taking several graduates, including Eddy, to the ground. Ed managed to hold his stance, however. The source of the cry, was another man in a black hoodie, this one clearly the Evil Guardian of Air.

"Who are you?" asked Eddy from the ground, getting to his feet.

"Name's Neil," he replied.

"Big Bolt!" Eddy shouted, throwing a ball of energy before the conversation could take off. Neil reacted quickly by jumping forward and getting to the ground.

"Tornado!" commanded Neil. A hellish wind funnel began to arise, picking up chairs and instruments, before making its way towards Eddy.

"Surge Protector!" repeated Eddy, bringing up another shield. This one, however, was more of a blue sheet that surrounded him, as if the protons and electrons Eddy generated had been so numerous and so still, that they just became a literal solid barrier. The tornado hit hard, though it was not really able to dent the shield as much as Eddy's concentration. With each successive object that hit the barrier, Eddy's will became weaker and weaker, and his shield began to show for it.

"Eddy! Look at me!" cheered Ed from within the tornado. He was laughing awkwardly, clearly not fazed by the fact that he was swirling around in a twister. This distracted Eddy. The shield broke, and Eddy was swallowed up by the tornado.

* * *

"Water Power," murmured Double Dee as he slipped through the stage door with Mitsumi. Stealthily, he peeked out from behind the curtain, noting Gola's position in the center of the stage with Randy as a hostage. Forging a plan, Double Dee carefully slipped off to the side, getting a good view of his knife hand.

"Boiling Water!" he shouted, throwing forward a stream of sizzling liquids that connected with Gola's hand. The shock of the burn caused him to drop the knife to the floor. Randy quickly pushed him away and ran to hide behind Double Dee.

"Thanks for the help," he whispered.

"Don't mention it," replied Double Dee. Gola got to his feet and stared intensely at Double Dee.

"Boulder Toss!" he commanded, sending a boulder flying towards Double Dee and his two allies. Mitsumi and Randy both dove to the side, leaving Double Dee to duck down, taking the boulder directly in the arms he used to protect his face. The awkward Guardian fell backwards onto the floor, grabbing at his injuries. Mitsumi was furious. So furious, in fact, that she began to glow red.

"Wow! She's a Guardian!" came a small voice from above. Hovering over the group was Marudo.

"Thought I'd help out!" he added. "You might want to say Dragon Power now. He looks mad."

"Dragon Power!" Mitsumi cried. In an instant, her graduation robe vanished, and in its place appeared skin-tight black skinny jeans and matching wraps, with a red top and visible white undershirt. On her head was a black headband, which had the shape of a dragon's head along the band towards the middle.

"Boulder Toss!" Gola repeated, summoning forward a huge boulder to take Mitsumi to the ground, though she nimbly rolled out of the way and prepared an attack.

"Dragon Breath!" she retorted, establishing her first ability. Her mouth widened, and out came a stream of intense flames that Gola found singing his hair and licking his skin.

"Boiling Water!" came Double Dee's voice from the ground. A stream of water soon hit Gola, causing him to scream. His skin was becoming a disturbing color of red.

"STOP!" he shouted, curling up into a ball. His skin had become so hot and sensitive that he would no longer move.

"Dragon Claw!" came a voice from behind, and a heavy arm hit Mitsumi in the waist and threw her to the side. With a heavy crash, she hit the wall. Double Dee, now on his feet, looked to her attacker. His jaw dropped.

"Jacob?" Double Dee questioned.

"Sorry, it's my job to give you guys hell," he said. "Annihilation!" With this, he generated a huge orb of flames over his head, before throwing it down onto Double Dee's head.

* * *

The tornado continued to spiral out of control. At this point, the graduates and onlookers were in such a panic. They surely believed it would be today that they would die.

"_This is bad," _Eddy thought. _"I gotta find a way outta this. Let me think..." _A chair smacked into him as he spiraled around inside the tornado.

"OW!" he screamed, though he quickly went back into thought. _"I wish I could block... Oh yeah." _"Surge Protector!" Eddy's ability had an unintended effect. The ability deflected the wind storm he was already inside, causing him to be violently ejected from the tornado, smashing into Neil and breaking his conjuring. In a second, the tornado simply died. Everything dropped to the floor, including Ed.

"Let's finish this, Ed!" shouted Eddy. "Big Bolt!" Quickly, he threw a ball of lightning at Neil, electrocuting him to the point of unconsciousness.

"Boulder Toss!" Ed shouted, throwing a big rock at Nero. It managed to take him to the ground. Just then, Marudo came zipping over.

"Golem Transform, Ed!" he instructed. "You take care of this guy! Eddy, get on stage! They need you!"

"Golem Transform!" Ed roared. His arms expanded, and soon he became a giant stone monster. Already, Eddy was making a dash for the stage. Looking onto the stage, he saw Double Dee in a choke hold, being defeated by none other than Jacob Finch.

"Lightning Strike!" Eddy shouted, without a second thought. The bolt of lightning shot out and hit hard, causing him to drop Double Dee onto the ground.

"Dragon Claw!" Mitsumi yelled, jumping forward and smacking him with the same heavy arm he had used on her. He fell to his feet, prompting Eddy to quickly jump onto him and slam his head into the floor repeatedly.

"Big Bolt!" Eddy yelled, throwing a ball of lightning directly onto Jacob's face. The Evil Guardian screamed in pain, before his screams suddenly stopped. Eddy became wide-eyed, though he was relieved to find that his foe still had a pulse. Eddy turned to the battle with Nero, where he saw Ed punching him around like he was nothing.

"Okay, no more of this!" Nero yelled, throwing up his arms. He simply turned and began to walk out the door. Mindless Ed, however, had other plans for him. The golem slammed his fist into the side of Nero's head, knocking him completely unconscious. The Guardians of Light had won. Cheering and applause erupted throughout the auditorium.

* * *

"You all fought very well," Professor Stanley told the Guardians of Light in front of the auditorium, with brother and allies at his side.

"Thank you," Mitsumi said with a smile.

"Oh, and Double Dee," he added, pulling out his notes. "You wanted these."

"Thank you very much!" replied the ecstatic Edd, with a bandage on the side of his head.

"Have you kids made plans for what to do next?" asked the professor.

"I guess go to whatever city we can find and see if we can find these stones," Eddy assessed.

"I'm coming with you!" Randy shouted.

"Yeah, invite yourself again," Eddy mumbled.

"Me too," Jack said with a grin.

"I don't think I am," came a protest. Eddy looked over. It was Double Dee.

"What?" asked Eddy.

"I have improvements to make," Double Dee told him. "These notes are going to help me. I need nothing but concentration to become the best Guardian of Water I can be."

"Can you do that?" Eddy asked.

"He certainly can," the professor chimed in. "Though it is a bit more dangerous to travel in smaller groups."

"I'm in danger regardless," Double Dee replied. "Plus, we have SEEKERs to contact each other with."

"Oh yeah," Professor Stanley said. "That reminds me." He pulled four additional SEEKERs out of his pockets and distributed them to the others.

"What does this do?" Mitsumi asked, looking at it.

"It's basically a really advanced smartphone for Guardians," Stanley said.

"Right then," Eddy started. "I say we get some Chinese and then go exploring!"

"Alright!" Ed cheered, jumping up and down.

"You kids have fun now," the professor said, climbing into his car with his brother. The professor drove off, leaving them behind.

"You coming with us, Double Dee?" Eddy asked his friend. Double Dee shook his head.

"No, I'm starting right away," he replied. Then, he stuck his hand out. Eddy shook it.

"We'll meet again soon," Double Dee told him. Eddy smiled at that.

"I'm coming with you," Mitsumi told Double Dee. He grinned.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he replied. Then, he looked to Jack. "You keep them in line."

"Ha, will do," Jack replied. And then, they went their separate ways.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... The Egmar City police investigate a crime syndicate. Randy volunteers to help out.


	16. Small Mind, Long Arm

In the previous chapter... The Guardians of Light battled the Guardians of Evil at the Egmar University graduation. Mitsumi learned of her role as the Dragon Guardian. Double Dee and Mitsumi broke off from the rest off the group to train on their own.

* * *

#16 SMALL MIND, LONG ARM

Eddy, Ed, Jack, Jonny, and Randy had been completely indecisive about what to do after Double Dee and Mitsumi, the group geniuses, had departed. They had two jobs: find the Guardians, and find the Elemental Stones. The only problem was, they just had no idea where to start. In frustration, Eddy put his face in his arms, his beef chow mein unfinished.

"Have you guys always been this difficult?" asked Jack.

"No," Eddy replied, sitting up. "Double Dee was always in charge of the decision making." It had been a whole day since they had lost Double Dee, and they had made absolutely no progress.

"Why did we let him leave?" asked Jack.

"Who knows?!" Eddy said. "I didn't think it would be such a bad idea!"

"Really?" Randy asked. "We're dumbasses! This was a terrible plan!" He was right.

"You know what?" Jack started, sitting up in his chair. "We'll go to the city hall, and get a map of the immediate area. Then, one of us will close our eyes while the others spin the map. The blind person will mark a spot, and that's where we will go." Eddy's head rose up.

"Finally, someone has a decent idea!" Eddy shouted. He scarfed down his noodles. "Let's go! To city hall!" The short leader stood up.

"Where's city hall?" asked Jonny.

"No idea," Eddy admitted.

The group decided to wander hopelessly, hoping to find a police officer to ask for directions. They walked down the street, aimless and bored.

"Don't we have SEEKERs?" asked Jack.

"YEAH!" Eddy cheered, pulling his out. "We can use these for GPS!" He attempted to pull up a GPS application; frustration set in when he could not get service on the device.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" He threw it on the ground before stepping on it repeatedly. It became visibly beaten, though the SEEKER handled the beating well.

"Yeah, that will get service," Jack joked. Just then, a gunshot. Instinctively, Randy dropped to the ground.

"Take him down!" they heard. More gunshots.

"What do you think is going on?" Jack asked over the sound of the bullets.

"I dunno," Eddy replied. "Let's go check it out!" The five men made their way towards the source of the gunshots. Around a corner, and into an alleyway. Soon, they saw several officers in helmets and bulletproof vests firing from behind cover onto a warehouse.

"Should we help?" asked Jack.

"What could we do? They have guns?" asked Eddy.

"You have that Shock Shield," Jack noted.

"It's a Surge Protector," corrected Eddy.

"Whatever," Jack replied. "Couldn't you use that?"

"I don't know who that would help," Eddy retorted. "It's a two-way thing."

"Hey! You kids!" shouted one of the officers. "Get out of here! It's dangerous!" The gunshots stopped, and officers began reloading.

"What's going on?" asked Randy.

"Local crime syndicate," replied the officer. He finished reloading. "They're not going down without a fight." With that, he returned to firing, narrowly being missed by a single bullet. The other officers began to continue the barrage of shots.

"Okay guys, let's get out of here," Eddy said.

"No way, I want in on this!" Randy protested.

"There ain't nothing you can do," replied Eddy. "Let them handle it."

"SHIT!" cried one of the officers. "I'm hit!" He was hit.

"Is he hit?" asked Ed.

"He's hit!" Randy replied.

"Dave's hit!" one of the other officers said, diving down and pulling his friend to the ground. It was a single bullet to the arm, nothing serious, but still incapacitating.

"We're down one man!" the first officer noted, taking a single shot. There were now three officers shooting. It was actually two less officers, considering that one of them was tending to the wound.

"I'll take over!" Randy said, rushing over.

"What are you doing, kid?" asked the first officer. "Get out of here!"

"I'm volunteering!" Randy protested. He grabbed the handgun from Dave and looked to the building that was being fired on. Instantly, he noticed a man peeking out a window, holding an assault rifle. Just as he began to spray a flurry of bullets, Randy took him out with a single shot.

"How'd you do that?!" asked one of the officers.

"I'm a cat!" Randy replied with a grin.

"Well I'm afraid you're gonna have to get out of here," an officer said. "This ain't legal! We aren't allowed to let you do this!"

"I'm volunteering!" Randy shouted, taking out another man in a single shot.

"It makes no difference!" the officer explained. "It's ILLEGAL!"

Randy Stephens proceeded to eliminate the whole crime syndicate on his own, using only six bullets to take down seven men.

"Take him down!" one of the officers yelled. Randy was tackled to the ground.

"Aw crap! A traitor!" Randy yelled out. "Guys?!" The other Guardians had vanished.

"Alright then!" Randy yelled. "HERE COMES ME!" With that, he began to shoot straight up, causing the cop on him to shift his weight. Randy quickly rolled over him and jumped over the barrier, taking off running.

"Don't let him get away!" one of the officers shouted. Randy was in a panicked state. Police officers he had trusted to have his back in a shoot-out were actually traitors; they had turned on him! The poor guy looked for a reasonable escape. Fortunately, he found a small hospital nearby. Quickly, he threw the doors open and ran inside. To the immediate left, he found a fire extinguisher behind ICE glass.

"_There's an idea,"_ he thought. Quickly, Randy bashed the glass with the butt of the gun, smashing it to pieces. He took out the fire extinguisher and ran for the stairs to immediately go to the second floor. As he ascended, he found another fire extinguisher on the landing between the two floors. Using the first fire extinguisher, he smashed the glass and took the other.

"Stop right there!" yelled the police, who had evidently followed him this far. Randy quickly scurried up to the second floor, where he busted open the door and ran out to a nearby lounge. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the symbol of his faith: duct tape. He took the two fire extinguishers and taped them together before strapping the extinguishers to his back.

"Put down your weapon and get on the ground!" the police yelled, appearing from around the corner. Randy turned; he was clearly corner. The former fireman set his pistol on the ground and raised his hands into the air. That was when he activated the two fire extinguishers and spiraled around, half-flying towards the window at an incredible speed. He smashed through the window using his elbow, before falling... with style.

"HERE COMES ME!" he shouted. Randy was soon flying through the air, using two fire extinguishers as a jet pack... because that is totally possible.

"_I see city hall from here!" _he noted. The fugitive took off towards city hall, hoping his allies would be waiting for him.

* * *

"Well, we finally ditched that idiot," mentioned Jack. "Aaaaand, we got the map. Now, let's decide on a- WHAT THE HELL!" Randy dropped down from the sky and landed in the bushes next to the group. He stood up and smiled.

"I'm back!" he stated with a smile.

"Great," replied Eddy, disappointed.

"Oh, and we should probably get out of here," Randy replied. "There's a bunch of cops that are trying to kill me." Eddy facepalmed.

"Damn it, Randy."

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... What has Kevin been up to back in Peach Creek?

A/N: This has probably been my favorite chapter to write so far. Randy is just a fun character; he has the stupidity of Ed, plus the adventurous nature of Jonny, and a bit of That's So Raven, all thrown into the blender to make one Dumbass Shake. Next chapter is going to focus on some characters we haven't seen much of.


	17. Dark Day

A/N: Hey, want your original characters to appear in the story? I need more Guardians (five to be exact), so if you want, feel free to pitch a character in either a PM or a review. Please note, that the five elements I have not established characters for will not be disclosed. This means that you probably don't want to make a character whose personality is central to their specific element, as the character would be put on one of the five predetermined elements, specifically the one which I feel they have the most attributes of. If I get a character pitch I really like, I'll send you a PM and establish more information about the character's role, such as upbringing, meeting with the Guardians, and character development. Thanks!

* * *

"Please, have a seat," Professor Stanley said, extending a hand out to his couch to invite his two guests to sit.

"What's up, Professor?" asked the first guest. The professor took a seat in his recliner. He reached for a binder on the adjacent table and handed it over.

"What's this?" the guest interrogated.

"My notes," the professor replied. "Kevin, may I tell you about the Guardians of Light?"

#17 DARK DAY

"What are the Guardians of Light? Some kind of public service commission?" asked Kevin looking over the cover of the binder.

"Believe it or not, they actually have superpowers," replied the professor. "Studies have shown that these Guardians did in fact exist five thousand years ago."

"Right, superpowers," Kevin replied. The skepticism in his voice was so thick it could almost be cut with a butter knife.

"It's all in that binder," replied the professor.

"I have heard stories of these Guardians from my nana," the second guest in the room confirmed. "Yes, the eighteen of them were quite honored."

"This note says seventeen, Rolf," pointed out Kevin, skimming through the binder.

"Seventeen plus a Superior," corrected the professor. "The Superior controls all seventeen elements."

"Of course," Kevin replied. "However could I forget?"

"You're not buying any of this, I take it," Professor Stanley noted.

"Not even a little," Kevin admitted, setting the binder down. "I'm outta here. Let's go, Rolf." Kevin stood and began to move towards the door.

"Where ya going?!" came a rather small voice.

"What was that?" Kevin asked, looking back into the room. He turned, and jumped in fear of the small creature he saw. It was small, with giant ears and big eyes, kind of like a little pink monkey, but it was flying and incredibly small, and actually kind of adorable.

"WHAT ARE YOU?" Kevin shouted.

"I'm Shi! I'm a Defender!" it replied.

"Uhh... Defender of what?"

"The Guardians! Obviously!" Shi stated. "You really found yourself a dumb one this time, Prof!"

"It had to be him," the professor confessed. Kevin turned to him.

"What do you mean... Had to be me?" Kevin wondered.

"Well, Kevin, I'm afraid you just might be one of these Guardians," Professor Stanley replied.

"You're joking," Kevin said. "Look, I'm out of here. Rolf, you stay if you want, but I just don't have time for these games. I _just _got a new motorcycle, I wanna ride it, so yeah. Later." Kevin quickly rushed through the house and flung the door open, stepping outside and making his way back to his garage. The rebellious sixteen year old trudged across the crazed professor's lawn, making for his house directly across the road.

"You know," came a voice that startled him, "You really should have listened." Kevin turned around and saw Shi, who had obviously floated along behind him.

"What are you? Some kind of remote controlled robot?" Kevin asked. "Get out of here! I don't want to play your stupid game!" He lifted the garage door straight up with one hand, revealing the beautiful black motorcycle that was so perfectly clean and new.

"You're a Guardian! Stop denying it! You know it's true!" Shi protested.

"I'm only denying it because it's a bunch of crap!" Kevin told her. "Get lost!"

"What if I proved it?" asked Shi.

"Proved it?" Kevin asked. "Fine. Prove it."

"All you have to do is say 'Darkness Power.'"

"And what'll happen if I do?" Kevin perused.

"Your powers will be revealed," Shi told him.

"Psh... Riiiight," muttered Kevin. Shi was becoming very irritated with him.

"Fine, you want proof of the Guardians?" Shi asked.

"Oh, sure," Kevin replied with much doubt.

"Alright, have you noticed anyone missing lately?" asked Shi. Kevin looked over after very brief reflection.

"You mean the Eds?" he established.

"Mhm," confirmed Shi.

"What happened to the Eds?" asked Kevin.

"They're Guardians of Light," replied Shi. "They had to go do their job."

"The Eds? Guardians?" Kevin asked. He began to laugh hysterically. Shi became slightly irritated.

"What's so funny about that?" asked Shi.

Through tears, Kevin replied, "Those dorks couldn't protect a fish from drowning!"

"It's the truth!" Shi insisted. "They have defeated the Evil Guardians twice now!"

"Must be some pathetic Evil Guardians!" Kevin laughed. He was in hysterics. Finally, as his laughter began to die off a bit, he threw his leg over the bike and revved the engine before taking off in an instant, with only a simple, "Later." He began to ride down the road, donning his helmet he had kept on the back of the bike.

"LEAVE JIMMY ALONE!" came a familiar cry. Kevin looked towards the source and slowed down slightly. It was Sarah, of course, with Jimmy, of course, and they were being harassed by a man Kevin had never seen before. He was wearing a big black jacket, a thick white shirt, and black skinny jeans with some very thin black suede shoes. His hair was thick and blond, and he was wearing shades- how typical. Doing the right thing, Kevin decided to ride over to help out. He noticed the two were running away, and Kevin pulled up to the local hangout: The Lane.

"What's up, Sarah?" he asked with concern.

"This guy is a freak!" Sarah proclaimed, taking Jimmy by the hand and running around the bike and away from the site. Kevin turned off the bike and got off, removing his helmet and confronting the stranger.

"Who are you?" asked Kevin.

"Call me Xavier," he replied.

"Were you bothering Jimmy and Sarah?" asked Kevin calmly.

"Yeah," responded Xavier without a second thought.

"Why?" Kevin interrogated.

"Because I was hoping to lure the Guardians out, and look at this, one arrived," Xavier explained.

"What the hell is with all of this Guardian shit? Whose prank is this?!" Kevin wondered, becoming increasingly tired of the joke.

"That's a good one," replied Xavier, dropping into an offensive stance. "Shadow Bomb!" Xavier's hands whipped forward and shot off a very fast black ball. When it hit Kevin, he got knocked back by a small explosion, flying clean over his motorcycle. He landed on the road with a heavy thud, dropping his helmet in the process.

"_What was that?" _Kevin thought, shutting his eyes and groaning in pain. _"That was... a Shadow Bomb? What's a Shadow Bomb? How did he do that?"_

"KEVIN!" came a cry. It was Rolf's voice, Kevin instantly knew that much. He heard footsteps rushing over, at least two people.

"Kevin! I think it's time you faced the facts; you are a Guardian!" This was the voice of Professor Stanley.

"What do I do?" Kevin asked. He had finally given in. The rebellious teen opened his eyes and looked to his allies.

"You die, that's what you do!" Xavier shouted. "Dark Ball!" With a thrust of his palm, an orb much like the first traveled towards them. This one, however, was bigger and slower. Professor Stanley whipped out a large round cooking tray and used it to block the Dark Ball. The Dark Ball disintegrated.

"Say 'Darkness Power,' Kevin! Then it's up to you!" the professor insisted.

"Darkness Power," Kevin spat. A flash of light. And another. Kevin felt himself being lifted, though nobody was touching him. He was pulled to his feet, where time seemed to freeze around him. Black fingerless biker gloves formed on his hands, and his shirt instantly became black and sleeveless.

"_Whoa, are those my arms?" _he thought, eyes drawn to the muscles that had expanded. His shorts were khaki and frayed at the tips, and his shoes were black with thick white soles. Kevin's lungs were filled with air, and he felt completely healthy and eased. It was the best he had ever felt in his life.

"Confront your adversary, Kevin!" Rolf cheered.

"Shadow Bomb!" Kevin replied, wasting no time in picking up on the Guardian way. Over his motorcycle, he threw a Shadow Bomb identical to that which Xavier had used on him.

"Reflect!" Xavier responded, throwing up a shield of black energy that sent the Shadow Bomb back in the other direction. The momentum had shifted down as a result of the change in direction.

"Reflect!" attempted Kevin. Nothing happened. The shadow bomb edged closer. Quickly, Kevin yanked the cooking sheet from the professor's hands and blocked the Shadow Bomb. Unlike the Dark Ball, this was reflected rather than destroyed. It flew back at Xavier at a very sluggish speed. Rather than reflect it, he merely held his hand up and absorbed it.

"What else have I got?" Kevin questioned, looking to the professor.

"Rolf?" the professor spoke, prompting Rolf to reveal the binder containing the notes that Professor Stanley attempted to present to Kevin earlier. He quickly began to search through it.

"Give Rolf time," Rolf said, thumbing through pages.

"Night's Eye!" shouted Xavier, throwing his hand forward. What happened next, Kevin did not know, as his vision went black.

"Kevin, you're wearing a blindfold!" the professor shouted.

"Shadow Bomb!" Xavier shouted. Kevin managed to remove the blindfold, only to see the Shadow Bomb colliding with his chest. He flew back from the resulting explosion, but not as dramatically as before. He managed to land on his feet.

"Ah! Kevin, you can send the black energy back with Shadow Gate!" Rolf told him.

"I think you might want to use 'Displacement' as your name for it, for the sake of copyrights," Professor Stanley told him.

Evidently, Xavier could not hear the conversation, as he threw another Dark Ball. It neared ever closer.

"Displacement!" Kevin shouted. Without thought, his hands flew up in front of him like a shield. The left caught the Dark Ball, and it went flying back out the right. Essentially, his hands had become portals. Xavier caught this Dark Ball and condensed it into nothing.

"Alright, I've seen enough!" Xavier exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" asked the professor.

"Just seeing what I'm up against!" Xavier responded. "The answer- not much! Later! SHADOW PORTAL!" With that, he generated a swirling green portal and stepped through, before vanishing along with the portal. Kevin blinked.

"Wait... Did that really just happen?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, yes it did," replied the professor.

"You were splendid, Kevin!" Rolf exclaimed.

"I'll admit," the professor started. "I don't think a Guardian has ever caught on that fast."

"Wow... I'm a Guardian," Kevin started. He was actually kind of okay with that, strangely enough. "So, what do I do?"

"You go find the Eds, and travel with them," replied the professor.

"I have to travel with the Eds?" asked Kevin.

"It's for the best," Professor Stanley told him. "Here, take the notes." He took them from Rolf and presented them to Kevin.

"Why do I have to travel?" Kevin asked.

"Well, the Guardians are stronger as a group," the professor said. "Plus, I figured you'd want a good reason to put that new motorcycle of yours to use."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Kevin cheered. He jumped onto the motorcycle. "You wanna come, Rolf?"

"Rolf must be present to feed Wilfred," replied Rolf. "Good luck, Kevin!" Kevin revved the engine again.

"Oh!" the professor started. "Take this SEEKER! It's like a Guardian's smartphone! And pick up Shi before you go! She'll be very helpful to you!"

With that, Kevin took off. He would not tell his family he was going; he hated that kind of sentimentality. The idea of striking out on his own, riding his motorcycle to who knows where?

Kevin could do that.

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

In the next chapter... Eddy and company explore a crypt to find treasure for money.


	18. Avarice

#18 AVARICE

Eddy and his friends had arrived in the small town of Henswigg, where they had found themselves standing at the door of a cheap motel for a single night stay.

"That will be $54.08," the man behind the desk told Eddy.

"WHAT? 54 BUCKS!?" Eddy shouted. He looked to the group and asked, "Can anyone cover that?"

"I have $12," Jack said.

"I have eighty!" Randy cheered.

"Well? Hand it over!" Eddy said. With a grin, Randy reached into his pocket. Triumphantly, he pulled out and put into Eddy's hand three quarters and a nickel.

"Eighty... cents..." mumbled Eddy. "WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?!" He threw the change in Randy's face.

"We still need $41.28," Jack noted. "Ed, Jonny, how much you two got?"

"Sorry, I'm flat broke!" Jonny confessed.

"I have money!" Ed proclaimed. He removed his shoe and began to feel around, before taking out a crisp piece of paper.

"Ed?" asked Eddy.

"Yes, Eddy?" replied Ed.

"Why do you have ten New Zealand dollars?" asked Eddy.

"I like New Zealand, Eddy," Ed replied. "They have the best jawbreakers."

"Well, how much is a New Zealand dollar worth?" asked Jonny.

"Like, less than one dollar in American money," replied Jack. "Eddy, how much you got?"

"Eight dollars," Eddy admitted.

"Well," Jack started. "We have about $30 collectively."

"I'm sorry," the man behind the desk told them. "But I am afraid I require $54.08."

The group stormed out of the motel. It was a bit chilly outside, the moon was full, and it was after ten.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Eddy.

"You got any way to make $30 in a couple of hours?" Jack asked.

"Legally?"

"Yeah!"

"No."

"Well, I guess we're sleeping outside!" Jack assessed.

"Yeah, I'm not okay with that," Eddy told him. "We're gonna get some money."

"At this hour? Everything is closed," Jack informed.

"You kids need some money?" The group turned and saw a man in a dark red hood standing on the side of the building.

"Yeah!" replied Jonny.

"I'll let you guys in on a secret," he told them. "You go to St. Mickey's Church, on the west side of town, and take the stairs behind the building."

"What's down the stairs?" asked Ed.

"I'll tell you," the man said.

"Okay!" Ed shouted.

"You go down the stairs, and you will find another flight of stairs," the man began.

"Cool!" Ed exclaimed.

"Be quiet! I'm talking! Anyway, you go down those stairs... and you will come to a crypt. The crypt is pretty dangerous, but it's loaded with treasure. You'll find your profit there somewhere."

"Sounds like a plan!" Eddy cheered. "Alright, let's go to St. Sticky's-"

"Mickey's," corrected Randy.

"St. Mickey's Church!"

* * *

"You know," Eddy started. "I hate church." They had just arrived at St. Mickey's church. Down the steps behind the building they went, where they found an ancient looking door.

"It's locked!" Eddy noted, as he attempted to turn the fancy handle.

"Allow me," Randy said, pushing the rest of the group aside gently. He threw forward a powerful kick that hit the door near the handle and threw the whole thing open.

"Whoa," Ed remarked.

"Right on!" cheered Jonny. Eddy slipped through the door first, and the rest followed. They took in the room around them, a fancy looking staircase, and columns all around, leading up to the ceiling. Everything was white, and it was little more than a transition from one level to another.

"Alright, the crypt," Eddy pointed out. He trotted over to the base of the stairs and made his way down quickly. The rest of the group followed behind, where they came to a long, dark hallway with torches lining the walls. There were several graves in the walls.

"What are those, Eddy?" Ed asked, referring to the coffin walls.

"Uh... special mailboxes, Ed," Eddy confirmed. "Stay out of those, it's rude to go through people's mail."

"My mother taught me well," Ed informed. Just then, a moaning sound.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"It's the zombies!" Jonny screamed.

"Don't be ridiculous," commented Jack.

"No, really! Look!" Jonny shouted. He pointed off to a side hallway, where several coffins standing upright were opening. Of course, several undead were coming out of them. Eight, by Jack's count.

"Why didn't any of these monsters exist when we weren't Guardians?" Eddy asked in rhetoric.

"They did, Eddy!" Ed protested.

"Whatever," Eddy said. "What are we gonna do?"

"Let's beat the zombies, Eddy!" cheered Ed. "Rock Power!" He rolled up his sleeve and began to look at his arm. "Umm.. Give me a minute."

"Electric Power!" Eddy called out, donning his Guardian garb. "Lightning Shot!" He threw up his left hand and shot out a tiny burst of electricity at a single zombie. It did not harm the zombie at all.

"Boulder Toss!" Ed shouted, chucking a massive boulder that slammed into two zombies at once, taking them to the ground and liberating them.

"Nice one, Lumpy!" Eddy supported.

"Thanks, Eddy!" Ed cheered. "I've been practicing."

"Yeah, yeah, just keep throwing boulders!" ordered Eddy.

"Okay! Boulder Toss!" Ed commanded, throwing forward another boulder, this one taking out a single zombie. "Boulder Toss! BOULDER! TOSS!" Two more, then two more.

"One more, Ed!" Jack told him.

"BOULDER TOSS!" Ed said, ending the zombie army.

"Good job, Ed!" Eddy told him. "Let's keep going!" And so they did. Down the hall they went, until they made it to another set of stairs. This one, like the first, they took.

"Another hall," Jack said. "I swear, I am going to kill whoever designed this place."

* * *

"What's wrong, honey?"

"I feel like somebody wants to kill me."

"Oh, I'm sure they do. Just go back to sleep."

"Yes, dear."

* * *

Eddy and company went down the hall, so far without worry. That is, until conflict arrived in the form of a big, metal fence made of thick bars.

"Hey, Marudo! Can you fly through here?" Eddy asked. "Marudo?"

"Marudo went with Double Dee," Jack said. "Remember?"

"What? When did we establish that?!" Eddy asked.

"_We _didn't," Jack told him. "It isn't our job to decide everyone's fate." The fourth wall collapsed, though it did not take the metal bars with it.

"Okay," Eddy started. "Any ideas on how to get through?"

"Well," Randy joined, stepping forward. "The holes the bars come out of are bigger than the bars themselves. That probably means these bars retract somehow."

"When'd you get so smart?" asked Eddy.

"Taco Bell," Randy responded.

"What?" Eddy responded.

"I'm not sure," Randy told him.

"Well, great," Eddy said. "Pretty sure there's some kind of fine for saying stuff like that."

"Starbucks," Randy added.

"Shut up, Randy!" Jack hushed.

"Sorry," Randy said.

"That's a board game!" Jonny said.

"Whatever, Jonny," Eddy said. "So, how do we retract the bars?"

"There's probably some button somewhere," Jack told him. "That's how it usually works in all the movies."

"What kind of movies do _you_ watch?" asked Eddy.

"Good ones," Jack insisted.

"Whatever," Eddy said. "I ain't looking for a button. Ed, take them down!"

"Eddy, why not just pull the bars down?" Jonny asked.

"Alright, sure," Eddy agreed begrudgingly. "Let's go with that idea. Ed! Pull down the bars!"

"Can do!" Ed complied, grabbing the bars and attempting to pull them down.

"They're moving!" Jack said.

"Unggggh," groaned Ed, obviously struggling.

"Help him out!" Jack insisted. He grabbed the bars and helped Ed pull. Eddy and Jonny joined, though their efforts were not as effective as Randy's. Together, the group managed to lower the bars all the way to the ground, until they sounded with a click and fastened into place.

"Alright!" Eddy cheered. With a bounce, he began to rush down the hall. "I think I see the treasure!" The rest of the group began to follow.

"It's a chest!" Jack noted, arriving at the end of the hall. "How cliché." Eddy got down on his knee and grabbed the chest, pushing the button and throwing it open.

"It's..." Eddy started.

"NEW ZEALAND DOLLARS!" Ed cheered. The group was stunned.

"I... don't believe it," Jack stammered.

"WHY ARE NEW ZEALAND DOLLARS IN HERE?!" Eddy screamed. "I WANTED GOLD! SOME KIND OF THOUSAND YEAR OLD SAVINGS BOND!" At this point, Ed had thrown the bills onto the ground and proceeded to make bill angels.

"We can take these to the airport and get them exchanged for US Dollars," Jack told Eddy.

"Whoa, check this out," Randy said. He reached into the bottom of the chest and pulled out a small little bag. Eddy snatched it.

"I bet it's a check for a million dollars!" Eddy predicted.

"I don't," contested Jack plainly. Eddy turned the bag upside down, and out fell...

"Wonka Bars?" asked Eddy. There were three of them, laying there on the floor. Eddy curled up into fetal position and began to weep.

He cried himself to sleep that night.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

In the next chapter... Eddy and his friends arrive at a floating village, and discover it is powered by an Elemental Stone. The Guardians of Evil show up to take it for themselves.


End file.
